After Akhilesh Yadav's 'don't trust vaccine' nonsense, another SP neta makes wilder claim

Hours after Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday termed the anti-Covid vaccine to be rolled out in the country a "vaccine of the BJP", another leader of his party bizarrely claimed that people fear that COVID-19 vaccine can make them impotent. Ashutosh Sinha also backed Akhilesh Yadav after the latter had said that he would not get vaccinated against COVID-19.

'Akhilesh has said this based on facts'

"If honourable Akhilesh Yadav has said this, then there will be something serious. We do not believe in the machinery of the government. He has said this based on facts. If he is not vaccinating himself, then I think COVID-19 vaccine might contain something, which can cause harm. Tomorrow, people will say the vaccine was given to kill/decrease the population. You can even become impotent, anything can happen," Sinha, SP's Mirzapur MLC said while speaking to news agency ANI.

"And If Akhilesh Yadav is saying this, then I think no one should get vaccinated in the state," he added.

The ruling BJP accused Akhilesh Yadav of "insulting" doctors and scientists of the country, meanwhile, Omar Abdullah said vaccines don't belong to any political party, but humanity.

"Akhilesh Yadav does not have trust in the vaccine and people of Uttar Pradesh do not have the trust in Akhilesh Yadav. His raising questions on the vaccine is an insult to doctors and scientists of the country. He should tender an apology," UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya told reporters.

Taking to Twitter, the former Jammu and Kashmir CM too later said, "I don't know about anyone else but when my turn comes, I'll happily roll up my sleeve & get a COVID vaccine."

During his press conference, Akhilesh Yadav also said his party will come to power in the state after 2022 elections and everybody will get the vaccine free.

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

READ | Akhilesh dubs country's anti-Covid vaccine as BJP’s, draws sharp criticism

'SP govt will provide free vaccines'

Later in a tweet in Hindi, Yadav said, "We have full faith in the efficiency of scientists but do not trust the unscientific thinking of the BJP and the medical arrangements of the BJP government administering vaccines which had been lying almost inactive during the corona times."

"We will not take the political vaccine of the BJP. The SP government will provide free vaccines," he asserted later too in his tweet. 

READ | Omar Abdullah says 'Vaccine belongs to humanity', differs from Akhilesh Yadav's 'refusal'

READ | Bharat Biotech's Covaxin gets SEC's nod, DCGI decision on vaccine likely tomorrow: Sources

(With agency inputs)