Government celebrated 'Tika Utsav' but made no arrangements to provide vaccines: Priyanka

NEW DELHI: Attacking the Centre, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said the BJP-led government celebrated 'Tika Utsav' in April but allegedly did not make arrangements to provide vaccines against COVID-19 which led to a decline in vaccinations.

The government had marked 'Tika Utsav', a vaccination drive between April 11 and 14, with an aim to inoculate the maximum number of eligible people against coronavirus amid a surge in cases.

"India is the largest vaccine-producing country. The BJP government marked 'Tika Utsav' on April 12, but did not make arrangements for providing vaccines and in 30 days there was an 82 per cent decline in our vaccinations," Gandhi alleged, sharing graphics comparing the number of vaccinations on April 12 and May 9.

She also shared a graph showing that India was behind countries like the US, the UK, Turkey and France in terms of vaccinating citizens.

"Modi ji went to vaccine factories, also got photographs clicked, but why did his government placed its first order for vaccine doses only in January 2021?" the Congress general secretary said.

"The United States and other countries placed orders with Indian vaccine companies long ago. Who will take responsibility for this?" she said.

It is not possible to fight coronavirus without ensuring that the vaccination drive reaches every household, she asserted.