Key Points:
- Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said that he won’t take the Covid-19 vaccine shot because he does not trust a vaccine being rolled out by the BJP.
- Akhilesh yadav also asserted that when he forms the government in the state, everyone will get vaccine shots for free.
LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said that he won’t take the Covid-19 vaccine shot because he does not trust a vaccine being rolled out by the BJP. Yadav’s statement drew a sharp response from the ruling BJP, which called it an “insult” to all the doctors and scientists in the country.
“How can I trust the vaccine which will be used for vaccination by the BJP? We cannot get vaccinated by the BJP’s vaccine,” Akhilesh told reporters in Lucknow. He asserted that when he forms the government in the state, everyone will get vaccine shots for free.
The Samajwadi Party chief was responding to a media query on the pan-India dry run of Covid-19 vaccine and whether he and his party workers would get vaccinated.
Targeting the ruling dispensation, Akhilesh said the government is using the pandemic as a tool to restrict and stop the events organised by the opposition parties.
He claimed that such restrictions were not imposed during any events held by the ruling party.
In a dig at the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, the SP chief said that people who believe that coronavirus can be stopped by ” beating thalis (plates)” are now talking about vaccination.
Reacting to the statement, Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya quipped that Akhilesh does not trust the vaccine and the people of Uttar Pradesh do not trust the SP chief.
“Former UP chief minister Shri Akhilesh Yadav ji, by questioning the vaccine publicly you have not only insulted the government but also the doctors and scientists of our country who worked day and night for this vaccine,” he said.
Maurya demanded an apology from Akhilesh and said that as a former chief minister, he should exercise caution while making such statements.
This is an extremely irresponsible remark. Vaccines are a public health issue best left to health experts to comment on. They must certainly not be politicized. That is apart from the fallacy involved in describing any of these vaccines as a “BJP vaccine”.
State BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh tweeted: “BJP vaccine has been effective in checking corruption and crime, which vaccine are you questioning?”
Akhilesh’s statement also triggered a Twitter storm with several people questioning the Samajwadi Party leader for politicising the issue.
Later, Akhilesh sought to clarify his remarks and tweeted that he had full confidence in doctors and scientists, but didn’t trust the ruling BJP.
