New Delhi: In recent days, several people have noticed that the photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is missing on the COVID-19 vaccine certificates when downloaded. “Modi ji no more visible on Covid Vaccine certificates. Just downloaded to check – yes, his pic is gone,” Sandeep Manudhane wrote in a post on X.
Another user on the social media platform confirmed that the photo was missing.
The development came amid pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca admitting that its vaccine against coronavirus, Covishield, can cause Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), a rare condition, that leads to the formation of blood clots and lowered platelet count.
Covishield was manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) under a licensing agreement with AstraZeneca. It was one of the vaccines administered in India against COVID. Several users on X speculated whether the removal of Modi’s photo from vaccination certificates was spurred by AstraZeneca’s damming admission.
Speaking to The Print website, officials from the central health ministry said the photograph was removed due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the country. The Print report said this was not the first time that Modi’s photo was removed from vaccination certificates.
In 2022, his photo was removed from vaccination certificates in five states- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, and Goa at the instructions of the election commission ahead of the assembly polls in these states.
