AAP questions Centre's role in vaccine procurement

New Delhi [India], May 11 (ANI): Reacting to Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government accusations on Delhi government of not floating a global tender to buy vaccines, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia asked if states are supposed to go to international market to procure COVID vaccines what is the role of the Centre.

"BJP says that Delhi government should have floated an international tender to buy vaccines from the international market. Does this mean that all State govts should go to international markets to buy vaccines?," the Deputy CM said at a virtual press meet on Tuesday evening.

"What is the role of the Indian government, then?," he asked.

Sisodia further said that the BJP wants all state governments to go to the international market and fight among themselves and bring COVID vaccines.

"Are the BJP leaders not ashamed suggesting such a thing? For the first time in 70 years, it is happening that the central government is not ready to take responsibility of the country," the AAP leader hit out at the BJP.

The Deputy CM said that if the central government had thought of vaccinating the people of this country first instead of exporting vaccines abroad then today there would have been 6.5 crore vaccinated people.

Asking the central government to accept its mistake, he added, "But the they kept exporting the vaccines to other countries ," he added.

He also suggested that just as the Pulse Polio campaign was launched, a COVID vaccine campaign should also run in the entire country.

"Let the central government fulfill its responsibility. They should go to international community and bring vaccine on states' behalf," Sisodia said.

Earlier in the day, BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi had slammed the Delhi government for its "mishandling" of COVID-19 situation in the national capital.

Speaking about the inoculation drive in the national capital, Lekhi had said, "In advertisements, it is being said that Arvind Kejriwal will provide universal vaccination in Delhi. But neither any global tender has been floated, nor any other arrangement has been made for vaccines. If they have done it, they should show tender copy." (ANI)