Crowd lined up for remdesivir injection at Chemists Association of Pune District. (Express Photo by Ashish Kale) Deputy Chief minister Ajit Pawar has disapproved how elected representatives were procuring remdesivir for people in their constituencies.
“We have to make a distinction and note we are dealing with Covid-19, a serious global pandemic. In such a situation, individuals using their network to procure remdesivir and distribute it to people in their constituencies or districts is not within the rules,” he said on Tuesday.
Referring to BJP MP Sujay Vikhe-Patil, who uploaded a video of himself seated inside a private aircraft with boxes of remdesivir, Pawar said, “It’s not done. I am citing his example as the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court has admitted a PIL in the matter for urgent hearing, and has also given permission to police to take action.”
He also said that it was not just about Vikhe-Patil, and that elected persons from any political party should not procure these drugs as certain administrative procedures and medical aspects were involved.
Pawar said, “Several well-known people contacted Sharad Pawar and offered to provide remdesivir stock. But he always directed them to district collector, Chief Secretary office,” adding, “when any individual with noble intentions procures medicines, certain issues have to be cleared: credentials of the private company, impact on people when administered, safety and health-related issues etc.”
Vikhe-Patil, however, said, “I am accountable to people who have elected me. When they are in need, I cannot appear helpless.”
“I am not answerable to outsiders. Nobody in our district or constituency from any party has raised an objection. So why should it matter?” he added.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
