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Launch Covid-19 vaccination drive only after concrete arrangements: Akhilesh Yadav to BJP
Saturday’s comment triggered sharp reactions not only from ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, but also from the National Conference’s vice-president Omar Abdullah.
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said the Covid-19 vaccination programme was a “sensitive process” and the government should not treat it as a “cosmetic” event as it concerned people’s lives. His fresh comment came the day after he announced that he would not get vaccinated for now, calling it a “BJP vaccine”.
Saturday’s comment triggered sharp reactions not only from ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, but also from the National Conference’s vice-president Omar Abdullah.
The fresh remarks by the SP chief come even as India’s drugs regulator approved the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India here, and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country, paving the way for a massive inoculation drive.
Yadav tweeted in Hindi: “The BJP government should not consider coronavirus vaccination as a sajaawati-dikhaawati (decorative-cosmetic) event and launch it only after concrete arrangements are made. This is a matter of the lives of people, so the risk of improvement at a later stage cannot be taken. A specific date for vaccinating the poor people should be declared.”
On Saturday, he had said, “I will not get vaccinated. It’s the BJP’s vaccine. The BJP can’t be trusted.”
Following an attack by BJP leaders, the SP chief had tweeted later on Saturday evening: “We have full faith in scientists’ abilities, but we do not have faith in the BJP’s unscientific thinking of the clanging of plates, clapping and the medical set-up for the vaccine. The medical set-up stayed paralysed during Covid-19 times. We will not get the BJP’s political vaccine administered. The SP government (when it comes to power) will do free vaccination.”
