After close to five months of spreading vaccine paranoia among the public of India – especially among the citizens of Uttar Pradesh, former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday made a rather drastic about turn and said he would definitely get vaccinated against Covid-19 with the “Government of India” vaccine. Earlier, in January, Akhilesh Yadav had insulted the scientists of India by referring to the Covid-19 vaccines being developed and manufactured in India as “BJP vaccines”. The change in Yadav’s stance on vaccines came a day after his father and Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav got vaccinated at a private hospital.
In a tweet in Hindi, Akhilesh said, “Seeing the public outrage, the (Central) government has given up politicising the corona vaccine and announced that it would give the vaccine doses. I was against the BJP’s vaccine, but welcome the vaccine of the Government of India. I will also get vaccinated. I appeal to those who could not get vaccinated for the lack of vaccines to do so.”
जनाक्रोश को देखते हुए आख़िरकार सरकार ने कोरोना के टीके के राजनीतिकरण की जगह ये घोषणा करी कि वो टीके लगवाएगी।
हम भाजपा के टीके के ख़िलाफ़ थे पर ‘भारत सरकार’ के टीके का स्वागत करते हुए हम भी टीका लगवाएंगे व टीके की कमी से जो लोग लगवा नहीं सके थे उनसे भी लगवाने की अपील करते हैं।
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) June 8, 2021
In an address to the nation on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the central government will provide free vaccines to states for all above 18 years starting June 21. The Union Government’s decision to recentralise vaccine procurement and distribution came after states made a complete mess of the vaccination campaign in the past one month.
Meanwhile, Mulayam Yadav receiving the vaccine dose was well received by many – including leaders from the BJP, who thanked the SP stalwart for sending out a “good message” and took a swipe at Akhilesh Yadav, saying SP workers and its president should take inspiration from him. Akhilesh Yadav seems to have realised that taking unscientific jibes at the BJP and India’s scientific community while Mulayam Singh Yadav gets vaccinated at no less than a private hospital can prove to be suicidal for the chief ministerial hopeful.
In January when the vaccines were rolled out, Akhilesh had said he would not take the “BJP’s vaccine”. He had remarked, “I will not get the vaccine now. I am telling you about myself. Am I going to trust a vaccine given by the BJP? Oh, get lost. When our government comes, everyone will get the vaccine free.” Reacting to Akhilesh’s U-turn on vaccines, UP BJP media co-convenor Navin Srivastava said, “Seeing the public outrage, will get the vaccine administered, which has become the vaccine of India from BJP’s vaccine. Better late than never”.
