BJP, BJD indulge in ‘petty politics’

BHUBANESWAR:  The politics over absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photographs at inoculation centres across the State intensified on Wednesday with the BJP and BJD accusing each other of doing ‘petty’ politics on the issue. 

Launching a diatribe against the regional party for claiming credit for the universal Covid-19 vaccination, BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi described the poster politics as ‘height of insecurity’. In a tweet, the Bhubaneswar MP said it’s a general courtesy that the Prime Minister’s photograph be displayed along with that of the Chief Minister on banners at inoculation centres. She said the Centre came to the rescue of the State government when it failed to procure vaccines. However, the action of the State government showed its insecurity and narrow-mindedness.

Union Minister Pratap Sarangi who disapproved of BJD’s action two days back saying, “Naveen Babu has no role in the massive vaccination drive,” refused to comment on the issue when reporters drew his attention to it during a visit to the vaccination centre at the Gandhi Smruti Bhavan in Balasore.

The ruling BJD too accused the saffron party of indulging in cheap politics over the matter. Reacting to Aparajita’s tweet, BJD Rajya Sabha member Sasmit Patra said every Covid vaccination certification has a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “While every other political party made an issue out of it, BJD did not,” he said. Stating that vaccination in India has always been a national programme conducted by the Centre, Patra asked when did it become a State programme. “Vaccination was forced upon the states and withdrawn subsequently,” he added.

Referring to BJP’s protest over the Chief Minister’s posters at vaccination centres, Patra said that the BJD supremo’s message has been put out across State calling for using masks and maintaining Covid appropriate behaviour. “It has nothing to do with vaccination,” he said and added it is cheap to politicise the issue.