Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda, a former Union health minister, on Saturday said the third Covid-19 wave fuelled by Omicron was almost over and sought to suggest that this was due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership that saw India manufacture its own vaccines in quick time.
Alleging the opposition had tried to derail the vaccination campaign by claiming it was “Modi and BJP vaccine”, Nadda requested the people to give them another shot on March 10.
BJP chief JP Nadda was campaigning for his party for the UP polls in the eastern region of the state.
“Ye corona ka Omicron abhi gaya ki nahin. Ye jo aap log sat-sat ke baithe huey hain, ye kiske karan hai (This Omicron variant of Covid, did it go or not? You people are seated close to each other, due to whom),” he asked while addressing people in Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar and Chauri Chaura (Gorakhpur district).
“The vaccine for Japanese Encephalitis (JE) came in 1906 and took 100 years to arrive in India in 2006. This JE vaccine came 100 years after its launch, the tetanus and polio vaccines came after 20 years but Covid-19 came in 2020 and within nine months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured that country developed not one but two Covid vaccines,” said Nadda to applause. Nadda also spoke of the Modi government’s flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme.
The scheme provides health insurance of up to ₹5 lakh per annum to the poor and Nadda had implemented it when he was the Union health minister. “These Covid vaccines are costly, about ₹3000. But Modiji ensured that all got it free of cost. In UP, Yogi Adityanathji ensured vaccination for 24 crore people while Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured vaccination of 175 crore. While this was happening, the opposition was trying to derail the vaccination campaign by claiming it was “Modi and BJP vaccine”. Now, that they (opposition) too have got themselves vaccinated, I keep asking these people how was the Modi vaccine? I request the people to give them another shot on March 10 and after that all will be well,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The scheme provides health insurance of up to ₹5 lakh per annum to the poor and Nadda had implemented it when he was the Union health minister. “These Covid vaccines are costly, about ₹3000. But Modiji ensured that all got it free of cost. In UP, Yogi Adityanathji ensured vaccination for 24 crore people while Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured vaccination of 175 crore. While this was happening, the opposition was trying to derail the vaccination campaign by claiming it was “Modi and BJP vaccine”. Now, that they (opposition) too have got themselves vaccinated, I keep asking these people how was the Modi vaccine? I request the people to give them another shot on March 10 and after that all will be well,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Later, campaigning in Chauri Chaura, Nadda said Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav wouldn’t campaign there as he was aware of the results.
“Akhileshji won’t campaign here as he is aware of the results here,” said Nadda. Chauri Chaura is one of the nine assembly seats in Gorakhpur district, synonymous with chief minister Yogi Adityanath, a five-term former Lok Sabha MP, contesting his first assembly election from the Gorakhpur urban seat.
The BJP president said his party gives preference to cadres over money bags.
“In the BJP, we believe in picking those who have a record of wiping the tears off the face of the poor, and not moneyed people. We prefer fielding people from the grass roots,” Nadda said.