Amid the ongoing uproar over BJP's promise of free COVID-19 vaccine in Bihar, Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced that vaccine will be distributed free of cost in his state as well.
"Once #COVID19 vaccine is ready, it will be provided to all people of the state free of cost," the CM said.
Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its manifesto for three-phased Bihar elections and promised that after the approval of the coronavirus vaccine from ICMR, every person in the State will get vaccinated free of cost.
"In the fight against coronavirus, the NDA government has set an example in the country. It is our resolution that as soon as the vaccine will be approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), every person in the State will be vaccinated," the manifesto said.
Union Finance Minister and BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman released the party's manifesto.
"As soon as COVID-19 vaccine will be available for production at a mass scale every person in Bihar will get free vaccination. This is the first promise mentioned in our poll manifesto," Sitharaman said.
However, the promise of free COVID-19 vaccine for every person in Bihar did not go well with Twitterati. Several of them slammed BJP for the "Politicisation of vaccine".
"This is a national disgrace! A life saving vaccine can't be politicised. What happens if BJP loses the polls in Bihar? This is wrong at so many levels! (sic)," wrote Aam Aadmi Party's, Ruben Mascarenhas.
"Will @BJP4India be paying for these vaccines from the party treasury? If it’s coming from the government treasury then how can Bihar get free vaccines while the rest of the country has to pay? There is so much wrong with this blatant populism that shamefully exploits COVID fears (sic)," wrote former CM of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah.
Soon, MoS Health and BJP leader Ashwini Choubey clarified that free coronavirus vaccine will be for every state and not just Bihar.
"Free coronavirus vaccine will not only be for Bihar but for every state," Ashwini Choubey said.
