Former Union Minister and senior Trinamool leader Yashwant Sinha on Sunday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over government’s vaccine policy by tweeting a video clip of a speech by the Indian representative in the United Nations.
In the 10-second video clip, India’s Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Nagaraj Naidu can be heard saying that India supplied more Covid-19 vaccines globally than has vaccinated its own people.
The video clip was taken from a tweet on the UNGA informal meeting held in March. India was attending the meet as one of the initiators of the Political Declaration on Equitable Global Access to Covid-19 vaccines.
In the clip, Indian representative Nagaraj Naidu is seen speaking about the country’s contribution in the area. After the scientific community came up with the vaccines, India is now confronted with ensuring the availability, accessibility, affordability and distribution of the Covid 19 vaccines, he said.
India will not only be vaccinating 300 million of its own frontline workers over the next six months, but in the process, has also supplied vaccines to over 70 nations. In fact, as of today, the country have supplied more vaccines globally than have supplied to its own people, he said.
Sinha’s tweet came after the arrest of 17 people by the Delhi police for criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the ongoing Covid vaccine shortage. The 17 people had put posters in Delhi criticising the Centre’s vaccine policy. The posters were put up allegedly by a leader of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party.
Several leader including former Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Mohua Moitra of the Trinamool Congress have criticized the Centre over its vaccine diplomacy.
Rahul Gandhi slammed Delhi police for taking action against people for allegedly putting up posters critical of the prime minister. He dared the government to arrest him too for raising questions on Covid vaccine export.
Mahua Moitra has raised questions regarding the arrest of 17 people saying, How is commissioning a poster that asks a valid question a crime?
Moitra had on May 14 lauded Delhi High Court’s statement slamming government over its dialer tune message. The Court had said the government has been playing that one irritating message on phone whenever one makes a call, that people should get vaccination, when it doesn’t have enough vaccines. The Centre should give vaccines to everyone.
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