Parliamentary affairs minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday alleged that Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi haven’t got themselves inoculated against Covid-19 because they distrust Indian vaccines.
“When we started vaccination in January, Congress leaders raised questions on vaccine efficacy. Now, they’re taking the vaccine. As per my knowledge, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi haven’t taken the vaccine. They don’t have confidence in Indian vaccine,” he told news agency ANI.
Joshi’s reference is to the unprecedented approval given to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, in the absence of any data from Phase 3 trials. Subsequent interim data did show the vaccine to be highly effective. The company is yet to publish final data.
Responding to Joshi, the Congress spokesperson steered clear of commenting on whether the Gandhis had taken the shot.
Party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala instead accused the BJP ministers of “resorting to diabolical propaganda to divert attention from abject failure of the Modi government to ensure universal free vaccination”.
Later, Surjewala told HT that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government have endangered the lives of millions of Indians by changing the vaccination policy three times in six months.
{{/usCountry}}Later, Surjewala told HT that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government have endangered the lives of millions of Indians by changing the vaccination policy three times in six months.
{{/usCountry}}Joshi’s allegation comes a day after PM announced that the Centre was taking over the responsibility for procuring vaccines and would then distribute them to states for free, in response to a rising chorus from the states, sharp criticism by the Supreme Court, and amid increasing concerns that supply shortages and the insistence of foreign vaccine makers that they would only deal with the Union government.
Last week, Congress launched a campaign for free universal vaccination. But unlike other Indian politicians, the Gandhis haven’t made their vaccination status public. A Congress leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that the family felt this was a private matter.