Vaccination Drive Turns Into Self-Aggrandizing Poster Game In Odisha!

Bhubaneswar: Lok Sabha MP Aparajita Sarangi on Tuesday joined the poster war that has erupted between BJP and the BJD since free vaccination for 18 years and the above age group began on June 21.

The saffron party has been protesting against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s posters at vaccination centres.

In a Twitter post, Aparajita said that the Centre came to rescued of Odisha government after it failed to procure COVID vaccines and announced free vaccination for all above 18 years of age. “Basic courtesy demands that PM Modi’s photos with CM’s photo are put up at all vaccination points by the state government. Height of insecurity & narrow mindedness!” she tweeted.

Meanwhile, BJP workers barged into Gandhi Smruti Bhawan vaccination centre in Balasore and tore posters and banners carrying photos of the CM, in presence of Union Minister Pratap Sarangi.

Sarangi accused the Naveen Patnaik-led government of trying to politicise the whole vaccination drive and hijack the Centre’s initiative by putting up posters of the CM.

Similar protests were earlier reported from Rayagada and Angul districts.

Also Read: Politics Over Vaccine Turns Into Poster War In Odisha; BJP Activists Heckle Health Officials

Interestingly, the UGC secretary on June 20 wrote to all Vice-Chancellors of all universities, IIT and NIT heads, directing them to place banners at their institutes thanking PM Modi for the starting free vaccination for 18 years and above. The banner design was provided by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The Centre had announced the new vaccination policy on June 7 after Supreme Court slammed the paid vaccination drive for the 18-44 age group and termed it as “arbitrary and irrational.”

The top court made several important observations in the suo motu case on managing COVID-19 and asked the Centre why the Rs 35,000 crore allocated in the budget for vaccine procurement could not be used to inoculate this group free of cost.

PM Modi had opened vaccinations to all adults from May 1 and allowed states to make their own arrangements to supplement stocks they received from the Centre.

The states had failed to procure vaccines from abroad and the response to global tender floated for the purpose was lukewarm. Odisha had received only two bids. The US vaccine maker Moderna had declined to supply its shots, stating that it can only deal with the federal government.