After the Centre decided to allow vaccinations for everyone above 18 from May 1, Opposition leaders on Monday sought to claim credit for making such a suggestion to the Narendra Modi government.
With the decision coming a day after former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh made five concrete suggestions to the Modi government, former Finance Minister P. Chidamabaram claimed nearly all his suggestions were accepted.
“The nation is gratified to know that practically all the suggestions in Dr Manmohan Singh’s letter have been accepted by the government. Better late than never. Two suggestions remain: ONE, there is an immediate need to provide funds to the manufacturers of the two India-made vaccines to ramp up production. TWO, there is an urgent need to invoke the provision of compulsory licensing of the India-made vaccines. That is the only way to use the enormous vaccine manufacturing capacity in India,” he said in a series of tweets.
Earlier, both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had written to Mr Modi to open vaccination to all those “who need based on their exposure instead of age”.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O Brien tweeted, “So the megalomaniac finally listened to India’s only woman Chief Minister”.
CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, however, questioned the vaccine availability for such large population.
“The solution to every problem can't be a PR gimmick to deflect attention & grab headlines. Where are the vaccines for those above-18 to be vaccinated? Unless the numbers for provisioning the vaccines are publicly declared, this announcement has no meaning,” he said on Twitter.
