Vaccine shortage a serious issue, not an Utsav: Rahul Gandhi slams PM’s idea

Gandhi also questioned vaccine exports, asking how right it was to do so while our own citizens’ lives were at risk. He called for the Centre to help all the states without any bias

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that vaccine shortage is a cause for serious concern and not an occasion to celebrate, in an apparent dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a Tika Utsav [vaccination drive] to encourage more people to get themselves inoculated.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. (File photo)

“Amid surging Covid cases, vaccine shortage is a very serious matter, and not an Utsav,” Gandhi tweeted in Hindi. Just a day ago, in his meeting with the chief ministers, Prime Minister Modi had proposed to hold Tika Utsav, a drive from April 11-14, so that the maximum number of eligible beneficiaries across states were vaccinated.

Raising questions over the exports of vaccines to other countries at a time when India itself is grappling with the second wave of Covid-19 infections -- the country has been logging over 100,000 daily cases for the past three days now -- Gandhi tweeted, “Is it right to export vaccines by putting the lives of citizens of the country at risk? The central government should help all the states without any bias. We have to work together to defeat this pandemic.”.

India has shipped vaccine to 85 countries, some in the form of “gifts”, others in line with commercial agreements signed between the vaccine makers and the recipient nations, and the rest under the Covas Scheme, led by the World Health Organisation.

In his meeting with the chief ministers, addressing the issue of alleged vaccine shortage, the prime minister had said the Centre prioritises supply as per the requirement, while suggesting to the states to avoid wastage. It was while urging the states to get maximum people vaccinated against this deadly virus that he proposed Tika Utsav or vaccine festival on April 11-14.