With current pace, BJP govt won't be able to vaccinate all by Diwali: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday attacked the Uttar Pradesh government over the coronavirus vaccination drive, saying at the current pace it won't be able to achieve the target of vaccinating everyone by Diwali.

The former state chief minister blamed "narrow politics" of the BJP for it, according to a statement.

"There are complaints emanating from different parts of the state regarding laxity in vaccination. Due to the narrow politics of the BJP, the speed of the COVID-19 vaccination has become slow. The BJP government has declared that it has set a target to vaccinate everyone by Diwali. But it seems that this will not be achieved," he said.

The policy of the BJP government is not clear, due to which the vaccination drive seems to be marred by controversies, which may put the life of people at risk, Yadav said.

The former UP CM also claimed that the condition of vaccination centres in the state is bad.

"The online slot booking system is neither practical nor convenient. This should be ended and in the larger public interest, more counters should be opened in government hospitals. The BJP should also pay attention to poor people and villagers," the SP chief demanded.

Reacting to Yadav's comments, Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma in a statement said, "The  Samajwadi Party has done nothing for the welfare of the youth during its tenure but the Yogi Adityanath's government has given jobs to four lakh people in four years."

"The UP government has also made a record in giving jobs to lakhs of migrant labourers during the COVID-19 pandemic," he claimed.

Sharma said due to policies of the state government, UP has become the top choice for the investors.