PM Modi should take COVID vaccine first, then we'll also take it: RJD's Tej Pratap Yadav

Days after Congress and Samajwadi Party issued statements against the COVID vaccines stoking major controversy, RJD leader and MLA Tej Pratap Yadav has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should first take the vaccine shot. Questioning the efficacy of the vaccine, he said that after PM Modi the rest of the country can take the vaccine. His statements are in line with the statements given by Congress leader Priyank Kharge who asked PM Modi to take COVAXIN shot before administering it to civilians. 

READ | Omar Abdullah Says 'Vaccine Belongs To Humanity', Differs From Akhilesh Yadav's 'refusal'

READ | Akhilesh Yadav says 'Won't take BJP's vaccine' as pan-India 'dry run' commences

Akhilesh Yadav: 'Won't take BJP's vaccine'

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, said that 'I will not get vaccinated, that too on BJP's vaccine (COVID-19), as I don't trust it,' at a press conference in Lucknow. He also added that when his government comes to power, the vaccine will we be provided free. "I will not get vaccinated, that too BJP's vaccine. I don't trust it. When our govt will come, the vaccine will be free. We will not get BJP's vaccine," said Akhilesh Yadav. Uttar Pradesh currently has 5,86,751 COVID-19 cases, 5,64,541 recoveries and 8,379 fatalities. 

Reacting to Yadav's statement, Dy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya stated that it was an insult to Indian scientists who had worked hard to prepare the vaccine. Pointing out that an ex-Chief Minister making such irresponsible comments in public was irresponsible, Maurya added that Akhilesh Yadav should apologise for his comments. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra too lamented at the politicisation of the COVID vaccine. 

READ | Karti Chidambaram Touts 'years In Politics' As TN Congress Neta Belittles Him As A Dynast

Cong's Manish Tewari questions vaccine

Speaking to ANI, Congress MP Manish Tewari questioned the vaccine approval by DCGI and slammed the BJP government."The BJP government has politically misused the COVID-19 pandemic in its entirety. The controversy over the vaccine is its latest manifestation. Who is going to get himself vaccinated with a vaccine that has question marks on its reliability. The BJP government has done a great disservice to that company which must have invested crores of rupees in research and development. In their quest to prove their 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' they have licensed a vaccine whose phase III trials are not complete. They are thinking about their short term political gain. They are not bothered about the lives of 130 crore Indians,"

Congress leader Priyank Kharge said that the Congress party "is just demanding the data and wants the procedure to be followed." He further said that if the Prime Minister thinks that the Covaxin vaccine is good enough, "then he should first get injected with it and should not experiment with others."

READ | BJP fumes over Akhilesh Yadav's 'refusal' to COVID vaccine, says "Insult to scientists"