'What does PM stand by?': Rahul Gandhi questions govt's stand on COVID-19 vaccine

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked the Centre over its statement that it had never spoken about inoculating everyone with a vaccine against COVID-19. Taking to Twitter, the Wayanad MP asked what does Prime Minister Narendra Modi stand by, continuing the Congress' attack from a day earlier.

'Exactly what does the PM stand by?'

The Government on Tuesday said there may not be a need to vaccinate the country's entire population against COVID-19 if a critical mass of people are given a shot to break the chain of virus transmission, and made it clear it had never spoken about inoculating everyone.

"PM -- Everyone will get vaccine. BJP in Bihar elections -- Everyone in Bihar will get free vaccine. Now, GOI -- Never said everyone will get vaccine. Exactly what does the PM stand by?" Gandhi said in a tweet.

Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had said at a media briefing that there may not be a need to vaccinate the country's entire population against COVID-19 if a critical mass of people are given a shot to break the chain of the virus transmission. "I just want to make this clear that the government has never spoken about vaccinating the entire country. It's important that we discuss such scientific issues based on factual information only and then analyse it," Bhushan had said.

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On Wednesday, the Congress attacked the government hours after the UK authorized Pfizer's Covid vaccine for emergency use, and asked if the Indian people will get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Congress on its official Twitter handle shared two screenshots, claiming that Government of India has been issuing conflicting statements on COVID vaccination. 

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom on Wednesday became the first country to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 after "rigorous" analysis by its independent regulator, paving the way for mass vaccinations from as early as next week among people at the highest risk of death from the deadly virus. The British regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), says the jab, which claims to offer up to 95% protection against COVID-19 illness, is safe for rollout. 

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