NEW DELHI:
Rahul Gandhi's letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging "vaccine starvation" in the country has evoked a strong retort from the BJP.
Rahul Gandhi, in his letter to the Prime Minister, demanded an immediate moratorium on Covid-19 vaccine exports and opening up of vaccination to "everyone who needs it".
Hitting back at Rahul, Union minister
Ravi Shankar Prasad said "India is not facing vaccine starvation but Gandhi is facing "attention starvation".
He went on to call Rahul Gandhi a "full-time lobbyist".
"After failing as a part-time politician, has Rahul Gandhi switched to full-time lobbying? First, he lobbied for fighter plane companies by trying to derail India's acquisition programme. Now he is lobbying for pharma companies by asking for arbitrary approvals for foreign vaccines," Prasad said.
Rejecting claims of vaccine shortage, the Union Minister said: "Rahul Gandhi must know that shortage in Congress-ruled states is not of vaccines but of basic commitment towards healthcare."
He went on to take a dig at Rahul for not taking the vaccine himself.
"Why has Rahul Gandhi not yet taken vaccine? Is it an oversight or he doesn't want it or has he already taken one in many of his undisclosed trips to foreign locations but doesn't want to disclose?" the Union minister questioned.
Earlier today, questioning the government for permitting large-scale exports of vaccines, Rahul said, "While our nation is facing vaccine starvation, more than six crore doses of vaccines have been exported."
Rahul alleged that the state governments were repeatedly highlighting vaccine shortages only to receive intemperate statements by the union health minister.
He accused the health minister of targeting Opposition-ruled states and undercutting cooperative federalism.
"Was the export of vaccines also an 'oversight', like many other decisions of this government, or an effort to garner publicity at the cost of our own citizens," Gandhi asked.
(With inputs from PTI)