New Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday put up a strong defence of Modi govt’s vaccination policy and asserted that India conducted world’s largest inoculation drive despite facing hurdles.
Making a statement in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister called out the Opposition for making wrong noises and often resorting to misguiding people on vaccine jabs, leading to vaccine hesitancy.
He also dismissed Opposition’s allegations of fudging Covid-19 fatality data, saying that Centre merely collates the data sent by states and hence it has no role in it.
“Centre compiles and publishes the data sent in by state government. Our work is to publish that data, and nothing else. We haven’t told anyone to show less numbers (of deaths) or less positive cases. There’s no reason for that. PM had said the same in meetings with Chief Minister,” he said.
“They say why did we do ‘thaali-taali’? We did it to encourage Corona warriors. We did it for the Policemen standing on the roads for our protection, we did it in honour of the healthcare staff – from the lowest to the highest level,” Health Minister said.
‘Before being a minister, I am a father’
“Before being a minister, I’m a father. My daughter worked as an intern doctor in COVID ward. She told me that she would work in that ward itself and she continued. At that time I realised the importance of ‘thaali-taali’, it gave us courage,” he told the House.
He also urged the people not to do politics and raise questions on vaccination and appealed to people to keep faith in Indian scientists and vaccine manufacturers.
The Minister also urged people not to make presumption about the third wave of the pandemic, and said, “It is not appropriate to say Covid third wave will hit children more” citing experiences of the previous waves.
“Our government has always said this crisis shouldn’t become a reason for politics. There shouldn’t be politics in this crisis…PM Modi has said that when 130 crore people of India take one step forward, the country can move forward by 130 crore steps. When we speak of the third wave, the 130 crore people – the common people, all state governments – should make a collective decision that we won’t let a third wave hit our country. Our resolution and PM Modi’s guidance can save us from a third wave,” he said.
Uring political parties to work together and not indulge in politics, Mandaviya said, “When there’s a need to work together and implementation has to be done by the states, at that time we never said that this state failed or that state did not do this. I don’t want to do politics but many states have 10-15 lakh doses of vaccines with them, I have data.”
