New Delhi:
The BJP’s promise of a free coronavirus vaccine in today’s Bihar electoral manifesto quickly turned into great controversy, with opposition parties questioning how a life-saving vaccine can be used to gain political advantage in elections. . The affair also resonated on social media, where a lot of censorship accumulated under the hashtag #vaccineelectionism. Late at night, two other states, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, ruled by the BJP, where the ruling AIADMK is an ally of the BJP, promised a free vaccine to people when it arrives. There has been no news from the Center on the issue of vaccine prices, although it said it expected a vaccine early next year.
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The latest state to promise a free vaccine is Madhya Pradesh. Amid mounting controversy, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted: “My compatriots, we have taken many effective measures to protect the public from # COVID19. Today it is fully controlled. Corona vaccine preparation is happening rapidly in India, so soon when the vaccine is ready, it will be available to all citizens of Madhya Pradesh free of charge. “
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Earlier, Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister E Palaniswami, whose state is dead to have assembly elections next year, said: “Once the COVID-19 vaccine is ready, it will be provided to everyone in the state at no cost. “.
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The state opposition DMK, which is trying to return to power, said it would be in charge of implementing Palaniswami’s promise. Party spokesman A Saravanan said: “We would win the elections and it will be the DMK government that provides the free COVID vaccine in Tamil Nadu next year.”
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This morning, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman released the BJP manifesto in Bihar, saying: “As soon as a COVID-19 vaccine is available for large-scale production, all people in Bihar will receive the vaccination. free “. It was the “first promise” mentioned in our manifesto, the minister said.
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Congress was one of the first to protest, with Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor and other leaders tweeting. “The Government of India has just announced India’s Covid access strategy. Please check the state election calendar to find out when you will get it, along with a lot of false promises,” Gandhi’s tweet read.
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Delhi’s chief minister and Aam Aadmi party leader Arvind Kejriwal questioned whether people who do not vote for the BJP receive the free vaccine. “What about states not governed by the BJP? Will the Indians who did not vote for the BJP get the free Covid vaccine?” he said.
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The leader of the National Conference, Omar Abdullah, questioned why Bihar should receive free vaccines while the rest of the country has to pay. “Will the BJP pay for these vaccines with the party treasury? If they come from the government treasury, how can Bihar get vaccines for free while the rest of the country has to pay? There is so much wrong in this blatant populism that it shamefully exploits COVID fears” , public.
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Late at night, former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, whose party, the Shiromani Akali Dal, resigned from the government and the NDA over controversial farm laws last month, called the BJP move “ridiculous.” “Free vaccine only in Bihar? It’s ridiculous! Does the whole country pay no taxes or are they not equal citizens of India? It is the duty of the Government of India to vaccinate the whole country. To use this life-saving vaccine as a tool to voting is unethical, “Harsimrat Kaur Badal tweeted.
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Bihar BJP top leader Bhupinder Yadav said the vaccine would be available at a nominal cost, not free, but it would be up to states to bear the cost. “Their attempt (by Congress) to misrepresent Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement reeks of desperation. All parties publish manifestos. Vaccines will be available to all Indians at nominal costs. States can make it free. In Bihar, we will,” he wrote .
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Amid the global race for a vaccine, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has said that the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech are expected to begin late-stage clinical trials in India after receiving the approval. Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd and Russia’s Direct Investment Fund said they have received new approval for clinical trials of the Russian vaccine.
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