DMK president M.K. Stalin on Wednesday said looting people in the name of differential pricing of vaccines was the worst tragedy. He said the Centre’s and the AIADMK government’s failure to contain the first wave of COVID-19 and learn a lesson from it had resulted in the second wave.
In a video message, “Let us save us and the country”, he said the two governments had committed a big mistake. “They did not take any precautions in the period between the first and the second waves. We are witnessing the consequences now,” he said.
Even though the Parliament Standing Committee warned about an oxygen shortage in November, the Centre did not pay attention. The report was submitted in the Lok Sabha on February 2. “Vaccines and Remdesivir were exported even when the second wave was surging. Above all, the country sold oxygen to foreign countries. This looting, in the name of vaccines, is the worst tragedy,” he said.
He recalled the Delhi High Court’s observation that the government could take over factories that refused to supply oxygen. It was not fair to increase the prices of vaccines and fix different prices for the Centre, the States and private hospitals.
“While the BJP government propounds the idea of one nation, one ration card, one tax, one market, one food, one religion and one language, the country has three different prices for life-saving drugs,” he said.
Calling upon the Centre to allot adequate funds to overcome the difficult situation, Mr. Stalin said the Prime Minister should implement a free vaccination scheme for all. “Tamil Nadu is able to cope with the situation because of its medical infrastructure. But the AIADMK government is not able to utilise it,” he said.
Mr. Stalin said once the new government comes to power [after May 2] it would take effective measures to save the people.
