E-Paper
Vaccine shortage not 'festival': Rahul Gandhi's dig at PM Modi's Tika Utsav
The Congress leader squarely put the blame of vaccine shortage being reported from some states on India's vaccine export.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said vaccine shortage in the country is a serious issue and not a festival, in an apparent dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to observe 'Tika Utsav' from April 11 to 14.
Blaming India's vaccine export for the shortage, the Congress leader said the Centre should support all states without any bias. "We all have to work towards defeating the pandemic," the Congress leader said.
On Wednesday, after the Maharashtra government said its vaccine stock would soon get over, Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan dismissed the complaint and said it was a tactic to divert attention from the state's failure in managing the pandemic situation.
The controversy over vaccine shortage soon snowballed into a Centre versus non-BJP states debate as Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh leaders alleged that the health minister singled out these two states as they are not BJP ruled.
As Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope questioned why Gujarat got almost an equal amount of vaccine doses despite its population and infection rate being lesser than that of Maharashtra, Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said both Maharashtra and Rajasthan have been allocated the highest number of doses, and both are ruled by non-BJP parties.
Holding a meeting of the chief ministers of all states and Union territories, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said there is no need to panic as Centre will be replenishing the stocks continuously.
Urging states to get maximum people inoculated, PM Modi said states should observe a 'vaccine festival' between April 11-14 to inoculate the maximum number of eligible beneficiaries. April 11 is also the birth anniversary of social reformer Jyotirao Phule, PM Modi said urging youngsters to help those above 45 years of age to get vaccinated.
