New Delhi: The BJP lashed out Friday at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Covid vaccination programme. The BJP said the kind of language Rahul Gandhi used and the way he tried to stoke ‘fears’ has confirmed that the ‘toolkit’ was produced by his party.
Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Prakash Javadekar made the observations while talking to reporters here. He also cited recent remarks of the Health Ministry to assert that the inoculation exercise in India will be completed by December this year.
“The ministry has given a roadmap about producing 216 crore doses by December and how 108 crore people will be vaccinated,” Javadekar said.
Gandhi’s choice of words like ‘nautanki’ for the prime minister at a time when Modi is working to curb Covid-19 is part of the toolkit’s script, the minister alleged. He was referring to a controversial document about targeting the government.
The BJP has claimed that the Congress is behind it, a charge the opposition party has rejected. It has instead blamed the BJP and sought police probe into the matter.
Also read: Stop worrying about your image, arrange vaccines for people soon: Rahul Gandhi to Modi
“It has been confirmed, and there is no need for any evidence. It is clear that the toolkit was produced by you and your party. The kind of language you used and the way you tried to stoke confusion and fear among people is part of that politics,” Javadekar asserted. “What Rahul has said is an insult to the country and people,” he added.
With over 20 crore doses being administered so far, India is second in the world and the vaccination is set to see a big jump from August, Javadekar pointed out. He rebutted the Congress leader’s criticism about the alleged slow pace of India’s inoculation programme.
The BJP leader said Rahul should rather be concerned about the Congress-ruled states as they have not been able lift their quota from vaccine producers.
Rahul had earlier asked the government to evolve a vaccine strategy for the entire population. He warned of multiple waves of the virus at the current rate of vaccination.