JOIN USHistory shall be kinder if...: Harsh Vardhan's sharp retort to Manmohan Singh
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday told former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the five-point suggestions made by him to improve the vaccination drive have already been implemented by the government.
In a letter to Singh, the health minister accused Congress leaders of spreading falsehoods about Covid-19 vaccines, leading to vaccine hesitancy among the people and thereby, slowing down the vaccination drive.
Vardhan was responding to a letter written by Singh on Sunday to Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering suggestions to improve the vaccination drive.
“A learned man of your stature could do well to surround himself with better advisors. All suggestions given by you have been implemented a week prior to your letter. P.S. : There's value in staying updated,” the health minister said.
History shall be kinder to you Dr Manmohan Singh ji if your offer of ‘constructive cooperation’ and valuable advice was followed by your @INCIndia leaders as well in such extraordinary times !
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) April 19, 2021
Here’s my reply to your letter to Hon’ble PM Sh @narendramodi ji 👍 @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/IJcz3aL2mo
The minister said the Centre also already allowed import of vaccines approved by credible foreign authorities on April 11, a week before Singh made the suggestion in the letter.
“The same is the case with your suggestion regarding providing funds and other concessions to augment vaccine manufacturing. This decision had also been taken many days before receipt of your letter and multiple vaccine manufacturing entities have been funded by the government to immediately enhance production,” Vardhan said.
The minister said a chief minister of a Congress-ruled state created a “dubious world record of sorts by being the only head of government directly inciting people against an indigenously developed vaccine!”
“Some Congress leaders even shamed the vaccines in public but took their doses in private, quietly,” he charged.
The minister said a word of advice from the former Prime Minister to Congress leaders could have ensured better cooperation from these people.
However, Vardhan said Singh’s advice to not get tempted to go by absolute numbers, but to go by percentage of population covered, was not incorrect.
“Quite obviously, it cannot be that the discussion on total cases, active cases or mortality is based on absolute numbers, which the Congress party often tries to do, but the vaccination numbers continue to be touted as a percentage of the population covered,” he said.