‘Will not get Covid-19 vaccine right away,’ says Shivraj Singh Chouhan, explains why

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday he will not get the vaccine against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) administered, saying those who fall under the priority groups should get the preference.

“I have decided that I will not get vaccinated for now. First it should be administered to others. My turn should come afterwards. We have to work to ensure that priority groups are administered with the vaccine,” Chouhan said, according to news agency ANI.

The comment by the senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came a day after Drugs Controller General of India VG Somani gave approval for the emergency-use of two coronavirus vaccines, one developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other by local company Bharat Biotech.

Soon after the approval of the two vaccines, Congress leaders Anand Sharma, Shashi Tharoor and Jairam Ramesh, on Sunday raised concerns over the grant of approval to Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine for restricted use, saying it is “premature” and can prove dangerous.

The leaders then drew flak from Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and senior BJP leader JP Nadda who said the opposition led by the Congress is filled with anger, ridicule and disdain.

In a tweet, Puri said, “Our in-house cynics M/s Jairam, Tharoor & Akhilesh are behaving true to form. They first questioned the valour of our soldiers & are now unhappy that the two vaccines to get DCGI nod are made in India. Clearly, they are on a quest for permanent political marginalization.”

Jairam Ramesh retorted, “So says the in-house Goebbels-cum-Albert Speer.” Both Goebbels and Speer were close allies of German dictator Hitler.

Tharoor, a Congress MP and former Union minister, also countered Puri, saying he had never questioned the valour of our soldiers. “I would be happy and proud if more Indian vaccines are approved — but only after a full 3-phase trial confirms they are safe & effective. Short-circuiting the process is unprecedented, inadvisable & risks lives