Prime Minister is an event manager: Rahul Gandhi on govt’s Covid-19 strategy

Image Courtesy:zeenews.india.com

Prakash Javadekar, who heads three powerful Union Ministries: Environment, Forest & Climate Change; Information & Broadcasting; and Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, has announced that India will be fully vaccinated against Covid19 by December 2021.

Reacting sharply after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said that less than three per cent of the country’s 130 crore people had received both doses of a vaccine, Javdekar replied that the Union Health Ministry had issued a “blueprint” which will ensure that 108 crore people will be vaccinated with 216 crore doses by December. According to Javdekar, “India is the second-fastest in vaccinating its people.

He then lashed out at Gandhi for raising the issue of a low vaccination rate, something many state governments have also raised with the Centre, about the unavailability of vaccine stocks. “Rahulji… if you’re concerned about vaccination then pay attention to Congress ruled states… there is a mess. They are not taking the quota given to them for 18-44 year old beneficiaries from May 1,” said Javadekar took it a step further and accused Gandhi of “questioning the vaccine” and creating “confusion in the minds of people.”

.@RahulGandhi जी अगर आपको वैक्सीन का महत्त्व आज समझ आ रहा है तो जब कोवैक्सीन आयी थी तब उसपर आपने प्रश्नचिन्ह क्यों लगाया था। लोगों के मन में भ्रम ना उत्पन्न करें। प्रधानमंत्री जी ने खुद कोवैक्सीन ली तब भी आपकी नौटंकी बंद नहीं हुई। pic.twitter.com/JS7t6xjIMN
— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) May 28, 2021

This reaction came after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the Centre, and the Prime Minister have “failed to understand Corona”. Gandhi raised questions on the Centre’s Covid-19 vaccine strategy, and played videos from a year ago when he is heard “predicting” the devastation that Coronavirus has unleashed till now. He also played clips of the PM’s “thaali, taali” message, and a year later a message in early 2021 where the PM said India had handled Covid-19 pandemic better than most nations globally. Gandhi said a “permanent” solution to fight Coronavirus was vaccination, and warned that moves Covid-19 waves may attack due to the Centre had “no vaccination strategy” for its own people while indulging in “vaccine diplomacy.

“You have left the door open [for Covid-19], there are different rates [for vaccines], business is going on…” he said adding that “unfortunately, the Prime Minister is an event manager. We cannot have an event manager in such times. We need effective and speedy administration.

LIVE: My interaction with members of the Press about GOI’s Covid vaccine disaster. https://t.co/YbC8iSe4aw
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 28, 2021

According to official data, India has recorded 1.86 lakh new Covid-19 cases in a 24 hours period ending on Friday. The active caseload, stated the government data, has now declined to 23,43,152, and 3,660 fatalities have now taken the death toll is now over 3.18 lakh. However, Gandhi warned that the worst was not over yet. “The second wave is the Prime Minister’s responsibility… he did nautanki [dramas],” Gandhi was direct in his critique, adding that the “government was lying about the death rates”. The Opposition is not the enemy, said Gandhi.

However, the Union government also put out a detailed “myth and facts” document reportedly by Member (Health) in NITI Aayog and Chair of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) Dr Vinod Paul. A key “myth” it sought to explain was “Centre has abdicated its responsibility to the states.” According to the government note, “Central Government is doing all the heavy-lifting, from funding vaccine manufacturers to giving them quick approvals to ramping up production to bringing foreign vaccines to India.” Another “myth” was that the ‘Centre is not giving enough vaccines to the states’, to which the government stated it was “allotting enough vaccines to the states in a transparent manner as per agreed guidelines. In fact, states are also being informed in advance of the vaccine availability. Vaccine availability is going to increase in the near future and much more supply would be possible.”

Hours after that release, Rahul Gandhi, made one of the sharpest attacks by an Opposition leader on the government’s Covid-19 strategy, rather the lack of it as he puts it, “I directly told the PM that if India does not sort out its vaccination strategy, there will be multiple waves since the virus adapts. The Prime Minister is the head of the country. He is responsible for its well-being. The buck stops with the Prime Minister.” According to Gandhi, the “PM is trying to repair his image but his image is gone…PM has to show leadership, don’t be afraid, be a leader.”

Delhi prepares to unlock

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said that the National Capital will begin “to Unlock gradually,” and construction activities and factories will start work from Monday, May 31. However, he added that “if the Coronavirus cases increase again, we will have no option but to impose the lockdown again.” The CM said even though the city will gradually unlock people should not step out “unless absolutely necessary.”

The gradual unlocking from Monday was decided after a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). The city is perhaps the first to announce an unlocking as the devastating second Covid-19 wave is said to have slowed down for now. Thousands are still impacted directly by the disease, and even more are impacted due to the lack of work, and food security due to the lockdown. According to Kejriwal “labourers, daily wage workers, migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and the neighboring states come to Delhi to earn their livelihoods… So today it was decided in the meeting that both these activities will be open from Monday… for the next one week, construction activities and factories will remain open.”