AMN / NEW DELHI
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday rejected former Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s claim of COVID vaccine shortage in the country. He said, India is not facing vaccine starvation but Mr Gandhi is facing what he called attention starvation. He also questioned Mr. Gandhi for not taking COVID vaccine so far.
In a series of tweets, Mr. Prasad alleged that Congress ruled states are not facing vaccine shortage but of basic commitment towards health care. Questioning Mr. Gandhi’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with regard to COVID vaccination, the Minister said, he should write letters to Congress ruled states to concentrate on administering the lakhs of vaccines they are sitting upon.
Mr. Prasad also said fighting a pandemic is not a one trick game. Apart from vaccination, there needs to be adequate focus on testing, tracing and treating. The Minister also accused the senior Congress leader of lobbying for pharma companies.
Earlier, in a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. Gandhi had questioned the government’s decision to export coronavirus vaccines and demanded to allow vaccination for everyone who needs it. He also sought more say to the state governments in vaccine procurement and distribution.