Congress demands COVID vaccine for all, starts social media campaign

Amid rising cases of COVID-19 in the country, the Congress started a social media campaign for vaccination for all.

Claiming that the country is facing shortage of vaccines, the party said that export of the vaccine should be stopped immediately, and the people of India should be vaccinated first.

Speaking on the campaign #SpeakUpForVaccineForAll, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said: "The country needs corona vaccine, please raise your voice as everybody has a right for secured life."

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said there should be ban on vaccine exports.

"Indians should be vaccinated first... that's indispensable... before we take care of the rest of the world. We urge the Centre to first ensure that vaccines are available to all Indians and only then lift the export moratorium on vaccines."

Former Home Minister and senior Congress leader P. Chiadmbaram has also attacked the government and said that "one day the government calls the vaccination drive a 'festival' (utsav). Another day, it calls the drive 'the second war'. Which is it?

"Remember, the day after the PM had announced the first lockdown, he claimed that the war against Covid will be won in 21 days, as compared to the Mahabharata war that was won in 18 days? What happened to that war?"

“Vaccines should be available to all Indians & until that is not achieved there should be a temporary stop on exporting vaccines to other countries. India is 2nd most populous country, unless Covid19 is controlled it will spread”, Niranjan Patnauik, President, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee said.

Nana Patole, Maharashtra Congress leader also demanded COVID vaccine for all in a Twitter message.

Saying that the state government is playing with the lives of people and people have become victim of the gross mismanagement by the government, Uttar Pradesh state Congress Committee President Ajay Kumar Lallu too demanded that the vaccine should be made available to all.

Several other prominent Congress leaders posted social media messages demanding the vaccine for all citizens of India.

India reported 1,68,912 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, setting another grim one-day record as the overall tally reached 1,35,27,717 so far. The health ministry data said here on Monday. With this, India has once again taken its spot as the second-worst hit nation in terms of infections after the US.

As many as 904 deaths were reported taking the total Covid related deaths in the country to 1,70,179 so far.

India is now the fourth-worst Covid affected country worldwide after the number of active cases rose to 12,01,009.

A total of 75,086 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, taking the number of recoveries to 1,21,56,529 with a recovery rate of 90.44 per cent.

With IANS inputs