Drugs Controller General of India, the drug regulator of the country, has approved the indigenous Bharat biotech Covaccine and the indigenous Oxford Institute’s vaccine – Covidshield. The Government of India is preparing for a vaccination drive of 30 crore frontline workers to ensure that the country can return to ‘normal’ as soon as possible.
However, with the approval of the vaccine, the luddites across the country have started a misinformation campaign against it. Akhilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party chief and former CM of Uttar Pradesh, called it “BJP’s vaccine” He also denied the existence of the pandemic and said, ‘Where is the pandemic?” he told reporters in Lucknow, adding, “I am sitting before you (reporters) without wearing a mask. BJP is only trying to create fear in the minds of the people. It does not want the Opposition parties to hold any programs.”
Akhilesh Yadav’s family and the party has a history of taking an anti-science, anti-technology, and an anti-modernity stance. His father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, opposed the introduction of computers in India and claimed that these devices will take up all the jobs in the country. However, today India is the fifth-largest economy in the world, thanks to its robust IT industry. Moreover, the senior Yadav also promised eradication of English and English medium schools from Uttar Pradesh to ensure that everyone has a level playing field in education. Thus, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Akhilesh Yadav is being vocal against the approval of the vaccine.
Akhilesh Yadav is not the only one who is talking like a luddite on the approval of the vaccine; some other leaders of the SP have gone a step further to claim that the vaccine will make people impotent.
कोरोना वैक्सीन से नपुंसक बनाने की कोशिश हो सकती है : समाजवादी पार्टी MLC आशुतोष सिन्हा#CoronaVaccine #AkhileshYadav pic.twitter.com/1sg4EDf8st
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) January 2, 2021
Salman Nizami, a senior Congress leader, has called the vaccine fraud. “Vaccine is FRAUD,” he tweeted and deleted the tweet a few hours later.
Many Muslim leaders across the world have opposed the idea of mass vaccination as they have done against the polio vaccination. Moreover, many other Muslims are asking for Halal (prepared as per Islamic rituals) vaccine.
The DGCI called all the claims against the vaccine “…complete nonsense…We will never approve anything if there is even the slightest safety concern. Vaccines are 110 per cent safe. Some side effects like mild fever, pain and allergy are common for every vaccine. It (rumours of impotency) is complete nonsense,” VG Somani, Drug Controller General of India said.
Akhilesh Yadav later became defensive after being trolled endlessly by people across the country. “Anti-Covid vaccination is a sensitive process. Hence, the BJP Government should not consider this as a ”sajaawati-dikhaawati (decorative-cosmetic) event, and commence it only after concrete arrangements are made. This is a matter of the lives of people, so the risk of improvement at a later stage cannot be taken. A specific date for vaccinating the poor people should be declared,” he tweeted in Hindi.
कोरोना का टीकाकरण एक संवेदनशील प्रक्रिया है इसीलिए भाजपा सरकार इसे कोई सजावटी-दिखावटी इवेंट न समझे और अग्रिम पुख़्ता इंतज़ामों के बाद ही शुरू करे. ये लोगों के जीवन का विषय है अत: इसमें बाद में सुधार का ख़तरा नहीं उठाया जा सकता है.
गरीबों के टीकाकरण की निश्चित तारीख़ घोषित हो.
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) January 3, 2021
This kind of anti-science, anti-modernity, and anti-technology campaign against the approval of the COVID-19 vaccine will take India backwards. Many common people who have little scepticism towards the vaccination drive will harden their stance and would quote leaders like Akhilesh Yadav and Salman Nizami to back their claim. The irresponsible statements by these leaders to score political points will end up harming the larger society.
Impotent?
You guys don’t need a vaccine for that!