Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday took to Twitter hitting out at the BJP-led central government over it's vaccine policy. His remarks come even as several states float global tenders to procure vaccines for citizens. While India's inoculation drive had been expanded to include all adults at the beginning of May, several states have since reported shortages. Vaccination centres have been compelled to close their doors, while countless netizens complain about their inability to book a slot for the jab.
While India has approved three vaccines for emergency usage, only two of these are presently in use. And so, states including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Delhi have decided to take matters into their own hands. Over the last few days, several state governments have announced their decision to approach global vaccine manufacturers.
Gandhi however contends that the current situation in the country is being "compounded" by the Centre's vaccine policy. "Vaccine purchase should be centralised and distribution decentralised. India cannot afford this," he tweeted on Friday afternoon.
A similar complaint had also been voiced by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recently, who contended that states were now competing against each other to secure vaccines.
"Indian states left to compete/fight with each other in international market. UP fighting Maha, Maha fighting Orissa, Orissa fighting Delhi. Where is “India”? Portrays such a bad image of India," he tweeted.
