After Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, yoga guru Baba Ramdev is the latest to do a volte-face on taking the Covid-19 vaccine. The turnaround by Akhilesh Yadav and Baba Ramdev will go a long way in boosting the shaky public confidence in the vaccines' safety.
The development comes amid the ruling BJP accusing the Opposition of flip-flop of doing its best to create hurdles in the vaccination drive. Earlier this week, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday questioned whether Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had taken the vaccine.
"When we started vaccination in January, Congress leaders raised questions on vaccine efficacy. Now, they are taking the vaccine. As per my knowledge, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi haven’t taken vaccines. They don’t have confidence in the Indian vaccine," ANI quoted Joshi as saying.
Akhilesh Yadav back-pedals vaccine decision
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who earlier said he wouldn't get inoculated against Covid-19 and called it "BJP's vaccine", announced on Tuesday that he would take a jab against coronavirus. The U-turn came a day after his father Mulayam Singh Yadav got vaccinated.
"Seeing the public outrage, the government, instead of politicising the corona vaccine, announced that it would give the vaccines doses. We were against the BJP's vaccine but welcome the vaccine of Government of India. I will also get vaccinated. I appeal to those who could not get vaccinated for the lack of vaccines to do so," Akhilesh Yadav tweeted.
On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Centre would provide free vaccines to states for all above 18 years starting June 21.
Interestingly, in January, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said he had faith in the doctors of the country but not the government. He had said that he would not get himself injected with a "BJP vaccine".
Baba Ramdev too does a somersault
In a soup over his comments on the efficacy of allopathic drugs against Covid-19, Baba Ramdev on Thursday said he would soon get vaccinated against Covid-19.
Interestingly, Baba Ramdev had earlier said he did not need the Covid-19 vaccine as he had the protection of yoga and Ayurveda.
"Get both doses of the vaccine and the double protection of yoga and Ayurveda. They will combine to give you such a robust shield of protection that not a single person will die from Covid," PTI quoted Baba Ramdev as saying.
Asked when he would get the vaccine shot, the yoga guru said, "Very soon". Baba Ramdev also heaped praise on allopathic doctors, calling them "God's envoys on earth".
He also said for emergency treatment and surgery, allopathy was the best. "When it comes to emergency treatment and surgery, allopathy is the best. There cannot be two opinions about it," Baba Ramdev said.