Soon after he announced a centralised Covid-19 vaccine policy, the Opposition on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was forced to do so owing to the Supreme Court’s rap and intervention even as it also sought to take credit claiming the joint Opposition’s demand for universal vaccination also played a role in the decision.
While former Congress president Rahul Gandhi asked “one simple question if vaccines are free for all, why should private hospitals charge for them”, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took pot shots at the PM, saying the announcement was a result of the Supreme Court pulling up the government over the vaccination drive.
Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala at a Press conference said the move has been taken after the SC pulled up the Centre while questioning its vaccines policy.
CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury trained his guns on Prime Minister Modi and accused him of “trying to defend his dubious discriminatory vaccine policy by passing the buck on to State governments”.
Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi said the PM has done a ‘U-turn’ on the Centre’s earlier decision to leave it on States to procure vaccines from national or international manufactures.
“Now when States were making efforts, after the pricing was announced by the manufacturers, to procure vaccines there is a change in policy again. Wish the PM and all his Cabinet Ministers who were busy in campaigning for assembly elections when the pandemic was peaking could have thought of a well defined vaccination policy thus saving lakhs of lives lost,” Chaturvedi said.
RJD leader and Rajya Sabha member Manoj Jha said that the announcement by PM was a big achievement for the joint opposition demand which was mocked at by the government.
“Ultimately the Centre had to abide by the directives of the Supreme Court which time and again had been questioning the government’s failure on implementing a universal vaccination plan,” Jha said.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that the Centre’s decision to change its vaccination policy came after the Supreme Court described it as ‘irrational’ and ‘arbitrary’.
“Thanks to the honourable Supreme Court’s intervention, now all eligible age groups will get free vaccine. This step could have been taken earlier,” Sisodia tweeted.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also said the PM’s announcement that the Centre will provide free COVID-19 vaccine to states appeared to be the result of the Supreme Court’s intervention.
Former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh said the Prime Minister inflicted a huge cost on the people of India.