A major controversy erupted soon after India's governing BJP announced that over 100 million people in Bihar would not have to pay for getting vaccinated against COVID-19 if they vote the party into power in the upcoming assembly election.
An Indian social activist, Saket Gokhale, has also filed a complaint before the Election Commission of India, saying the announcement is not only “discriminatory but also a false promise and blatant misuse of Central Government powers during elections.”
“....it is evident that this is a gross violation of the powers of the Union Govt of India during an election, an attempt to mislead the voters of Bihar, as well as a camouflaged policy decision which seeks to promise something that hasn’t been yet been officially notified”, reads the letter.
Congress lawmaker and former UN diplomat Shashi Tharoor tweeted in Hindi sarcastically, “You give me vote, I will give you vaccine”.
Many tweeples questioned the a politicisation of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Responding to the criticism, Amit Malviya, in-charge of BJP's national Information and Technology, clarified that like all programmes, the federal government will provide vaccines to states at a nominal rate.
"It is for the state Govts to decide if they want to give it free or otherwise. Health being a state subject, Bihar BJP has decided to give it free. Simple", Malaviya underlined.
Currently, India is testing three vaccine candidates. Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd and Russia’s sovereign wealth fund have received approval from the country's drug regulator to conduct human clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine, developed in Russia.
The federal health minister told a meeting of a Group of Ministers on 13 October that India is expecting the first COVID-19 vaccine by “early next year”.