Vaccine for votes: BJP's Bihar promise sparks a controversy
For the first time in India's political history a vaccine has made it to an election manifesto. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has promised free COVID-19 vaccine for every person in Bihar once it is available sparking a controversy. SY Quraishi, former chief election commissioner, discussed who should get the vaccine and whether or not the government should prioritise healthcare workers and the elderly who are most vulnerable. He also discussed the lack of the distribution plan by the central government.
For the first time in India's political history a vaccine has made it to an election manifesto. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has promised free COVID-19 vaccine for every person in Bihar once it is available sparking a controversy.
The manifesto was released earlier today and the first promise was free vaccines. The move triggered political backlash with opposition questioning the party for using a vaccine to further a political agenda.
The RJD slammed the BJP saying, "The political use of the vaccine shows that they have no choice but to sell their fear of disease and death."
The head of the BJP IT cell Amit Malviya defended the party saying "Like all programs, the center will provide vaccines to states at a nominal rate. It is for the state governments to decide if they want to give it free or otherwise. Health being a state subject, Bihar BJP has decided to give it free. Simple."
He did not respond to the charge of exploiting people's fears in the midst of a pandemic.
SY Quraishi, former chief election commissioner, discussed who should get the vaccine and whether or not the government should prioritise healthcare workers and the elderly who are most vulnerable. He also discussed the lack of the distribution plan by the central government.
“The government cannot make any new announcements after the code of conduct comes into play,” he said.
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First Published: Oct 22, 2020 5:24 PM IST
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