The Congress on Wednesday launched an online campaign to press for free universal vaccination against COVID-19 by the Narendra Modi government.
“Vaccines are the strongest shield to protect us against the Covid-19 pandemic. You all should also raise your voice for free vaccination of all citizens and wake up the Central government!” former Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted as part of #SpeakUpForFreeUniversalVaccination campaign.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also posted a video on twitter in which she questioned Prime Minister Modi’s Independence Day speech. “On August 15, 2020, the Prime Minister had declared that there was a plan to vaccinate every Indian by the next year. It is now mid 2021 and our rate of vaccination is 1.9 million people per day. We need to vaccinate 7-8 million people per day to achieve that target,” Ms Vadra said.
“The Centre first took all the responsibility. After that as the second wave hit, it started to abdicate responsibility to the State. Other federal countries like Germany and the USA have followed a completely different process. The Centre had procured the vaccine and allowed States to distribute it. Why did the Modi government not do so?” she said.
Despite being the world’s biggest vaccine manufacturers, India had fully vaccinated only 3.4 per cent of its population. Who is responsible for “India’s confused and dithering vaccination program,” she asked.
Lok Sabha member from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, released a video in support of free universal vaccination. In the clip, he also said he continued to suffer from long COVID complications. Mr. Tharoor, who had fully vaccinated himself, was infected in the third week of April.
Echoing the views of Ms. Vadra, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, said, “The BJP has completely failed to control the second wave of corona... it is running away from its responsibility of free vaccination”.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said free universal vaccination was the right of every Indian.
“All previous Central governments have been taking this programme forward. Now when the nation is grappling with an unprecedented health crisis, to deny vaccination to all is totally unjust. Let us all raise our voices against this inefficiency and insensitivity of the NDA and demand Free Universal Vaccination,” Mr. Gehlot tweeted.
