'No room for doubt on Covid vaccine, ready to take the shot': Sharad Pawar

A day ahead of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said that there is no need to cast doubts on Covid-19 vaccines approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI). He said that both the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech are world class institutions, and if given a chance he would immediately take a vaccine shot.

“There is no need to cast doubt on vaccines as Pune’s Serum of Institute of India is a world class organization and so is Hyderabad’s Bharat Biotech. In a way, they have also shown a path to the world hence I will not cast any doubt on them. In fact, I will immediately get a shot of Covid vaccine if given a chance,” said Pawar while speaking to reporters in South Mumbai.

The nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive is beginning from January 16.

Pawar’s statement is at variance with what party spokesperson and minority affairs minister Nawab Malik has said a few ago. Malik had said that the people have some doubts on the Covid-19 vaccine thus Prime Minister Narendra Modi should get himself inoculated first to allay their concerns.

On Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) president Bhupinder Singh Mann’s decision to recuse himself from the four-member committee appointed by the Supreme Court to discuss the contentious farm laws, Pawar said,“The decision made by the BKU chief indicates that complaints of the farmers are based on facts. However, a decision needs to be made over their agitation as farmer brothers are not willing to withdraw the protest despite the severe cold wave in Delhi.”

On Thursday, the NCP chief had questioned the composition of the committee appointed by the apex court on farm laws saying that the members of the committee have supported the three farm laws in the past and thus they do not have faith in the committee. He has also said that the committee should have been independent in a true sense.

The veteran leader also expressed surprise at governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari participating in a donation collection drive for Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Friday.

“Organizing a donation drive is the right of an organization so I will not comment on that part but I read somewhere that the Governor (Bhagat Singh Koshyari) is also participating in a donation drive, which is strange, if true,” Pawar said.

“Governor is the head of a state and expected to work for everyone. It would be a wise decision, if he can avoid participating in events which could lead to the possibility of unnecessary debate or argument,” he explained, when asked further.

Earlier today, Koshyari attended Shri Ramjanmabhoomi Mandir Nidhi Samarpan Abhiyan (donation collection drive) at the Poddareshwar Ram Mandir in Nagpur.

The donation collection drive for the Ram temple at Ayodhya began simultaneously all over the country on January 15 and it will run till February 15.