Akhilesh Yadav changes stance, says he will take COVID-19 vaccine

Announcement comes after Modi’s statement on centralised procurement

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav. File

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, who had earlier said he would not get vaccinated as he did not trust the “BJP’s vaccine,” on June 7 announced he would get the shot following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement of reverting to a system of centralised procurement of vaccines for COVID-19.

“I was against the ‘BJP’s tika’ but welcome the ‘tika of the Indian government’. I will also get the vaccine shots and would appeal those who could not get vaccinated due to shortage of vaccine to get the shots,” Mr. Yadav said.

Taking to Twitter, Mr. Yadav said due to public outrage, the

Central government had to announce that they would get the vaccination done instead of “politicising it.”

BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya targeted Mr. Yadav for his earlier comments and accused him of insulting the scientists of the country who developed the vaccine and blamed him for the incidents involving health workers due to resistance to vaccination.

“He should get vaccinated, we welcome that. But till he apologises, he is guilty of the insults of and the attacks [on health workers and scientists], said Mr. Maurya.

Mr. Yadav’s announcement came a day after his father and founder of the SP Mulayam Singh Yadav got his first dose. Due to Mr. Akhilesh Yadav’s earlier comments on the vaccine, BJP leaders taunted him after his father received the vaccine.

Mr. Maurya on Sunday thanked Mr. Mulayam Yadav for taking the “ swadeshi vaccine” and stated that his vaccination was “proof” that Mr. Akhilesh Yadav had “spread rumours” about the vaccine.