‘There is no vaccine for virus of arrogance and ignorance’: BJP, Health Minister slam Rahul

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 2

The ruling BJP on Friday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for raising questions over the Covid vaccine availability in the country, with Health Minister Harsh Vardhan saying that “There is no vaccine for the virus of arrogance and ignorance”.

“Just yesterday, I put out facts on vaccine availability for the month of July. What is @RahulGandhi Ji’s problem? Does he not read? Does he not understand? There is no vaccine for the virus of arrogance and ignorance!! @INCIndia must think of a leadership overhaul!” Vardhan tweeted.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi had said in a tweet in Hindi that July had come but vaccines had not.

Vardhan also urged leaders making “irresponsible statements” to spend “more energy in planning and not in creating panic”.

Later, addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said 41.60 lakh doses were administered on July 1, while a total of 6.85 crore jabs had been given between June 21 and July 1 with a daily average of over 62 lakh.

The government is working on a “war footing”, he said, adding that the pace of vaccination will gather more speed in the coming days. “Is there any country with a better average in the last 11 days,” Bhatia asked, adding that India, by administering over 34 crore doses, had surpassed countries like the US and Canada

“You may hate Modi but why hate people. Is spreading confusion the undeclared policy of the Congress?” he questioned while hitting out at the alleged corruption and irregularities in Covid management in the Congress-ruled Punjab and Rajasthan and questioned party chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi about it.

Lashing out at Gandhi over his ‘Movid’ remark, he said, “We could also have called it ‘Rovid’, that ‘Rovid’ is spreading negativity in the country”. He cited media reports to accuse the Congress government in Rajasthan of buying oxygen concentrators at an exorbitant rate and alleged that many of them were defunct. 

Bhatia claimed that even Congress leaders in Maharashtra had alleged corruption by the coalition government in the state.

He also lauded the Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh and expressed confidence that the BJP will win the Assembly polls, to be held next year, with “a bigger margin than 2017”.