'Is decision to vaccinate all above 18 years a political masterstroke?'

The Union government has announced vaccination for all above the age of 18 from 1 May 2021 and also given free hands to the state governments to purchase 50% of the vaccines directly from the producers. Is the decision going to benefit the BJP before the 6th phase of the Bengal polls?

Kolkata: As days are passing by the COVID-19 infection is taking an alarming shape in India as well as in West Bengal.

The Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee has already demanded a mass vaccination to tide over the crisis. In such a situation the Union government has announced vaccination for all above the age of 18 from 1 May 2021 and also given free hands to the state governments to purchase 50% of the vaccines directly from the producers.

Now the question is doing the rounds is this a political masterstroke for BJP before the last three phases of Bengal polls and will the saffron camp gain political advantage in the last three phases following this development.

According to West Bengal Doctors' Forum member, Dr Punyabrata Gun, no particular party will benefit from this decision. He said, "The Covid-19 situation is worsening throughout the country. The government should have taken steps to develop the health infrastructure during the interim period when the number of affected people drastically came down. But they did not do that. But the situation has become so alarming now that the Union government had no other option but to take this decision of mass adult vaccination".

According to him, the first priority of the government now will be to ensure an ample supply of vaccines in the market. The doctor further added, "To my opinion, it will take at least two months in meeting the shortfall".

Political observer and the former Registrar of Calcutta University, Rajagopal Chakraborty feels that right now instead of thinking of political gains all government should work together to ensure that the maximum number of people are vaccinated as early as possible.

He said, "Neither the state government nor the Union government can avoid their respective responsibilities in this regard. It is clear that had both the state and the Union government taken appropriate steps during the interim period, the crisis would not have been so deep. The second wave of Covid-19 was inevitable. So my question is what the state and Union governments doing then".

Senior Trinamool Congress leader Tapas Roy said that the chief minister had written a letter to the Union government on February 24 expressing the desire to vaccinate the people of the state free of cost. He further said, "Had the state government got permission from the Union government then the current crisis would not have been so deep. But people of Bengal know everything and I am sure that BJP will not be able to gain political mileage out of this last moment decision to go mass adult vaccination".

Senior Congress leader, Suvankar Chhakrabroty said that their leader Rahul Gandhi had been demanding free vaccination for all since the beginning. "He had also cautioned about the danger of the second wave of COVID-19. But the Union government did not pay any heed. So their last moment gimmick will be rejected by the people," said the Congress leader.

Senior CPI(M) leader Anadi Sahoo commented the people of the country suffered last year as well because of the lackadaisical approach of the Union government. "Had they been active in time this vaccine crisis would not have happened. And now the people will decide," he said.