BJP slams opposition over COVID-19 vaccine issue

Keeping up its attack on the Opposition over the COVID-19 vaccine issue, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday said all that its rivals, especially the Congress, have contributed to the matter is "politics and confusion".

New Delhi:Hitting out at the Congress party for questioning COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday said all that its rivals have contributed to the matter is "politics and confusion".

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the opposition leaders questioned the efficacy of Covaxin, developed indigenously by Bharat Biotech.

"Opposition-ruled states like Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, West Bengal and Jharkhand had also expressed their doubts. However, the manufacturer of the vaccine informed detailed about the vaccine and said that the vaccine is 81 per cent effective in protecting against coronavirus," Patra said.

"Why don't you trust scientists and doctors in your country? Over 40 countries have placed orders for Covaxin. But in India, we have people doing politics over it for their selfish political interests," Patra told reporters here.

Patra recalled how the opposition leaders "tease" the government by asking the Prime Minister to prove its efficacy by opting for the first jab. "He did it when his turn came, by following all protocols," he said, adding that President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu also opted for Covaxin.

(With inputs from PTI)