Former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday blamed the Congress for dissuading citizens from taking Covid-19 vaccines when they were introduced.
"The same Congress, which is today protesting against the government for not inoculating citizens, had asked people not to take the vaccines when they were introduced. They ran a misinformation campaign by calling it a drama, likening the vaccines to distilled water, and asked people not to take it," Kumaraswamy said.
"As a result of the propaganda, there were no takers for the vaccines and manufacturers got the Centre's permission to supply them to foreign countries. That was the effect of the Congress's petty politics, which has led to this situation," the JD(S) leader said, adding that the Congress was equally responsible.
Kumaraswamy's comments come at a time when PM Modi and the BJP are facing flak over shortage of vaccines.
Mocking the Congress's move to set aside Rs 100 crore from the Local Area Development (LAD) funds to procure vaccines, Kumaraswamy said, "The Congress MLAs aren't bringing this money from their home. It's money they get from the government for LAD."
Earlier in the day, Kumaraswamy also urged the state government to extend the lockdown. "The lockdown has to be extended by at least a month and the government has to announce a special package for the poor," he said. "If the lockdown is not extended, there will be bigger repercussions to face. Hence the government must extend the lockdown."
The government simply conducting video meetings is not useful, Kumaraswamy said. "It is just a waste of time of officials who can use the same time to work at the ground level. All these meetings are distraction tactics," he charged, asking the state government not to "test people's patience".
As for the marginal decrease in cases in some places, Kumaraswamy said the reduced number was the result of fewer tests being conducted. "The government is managing the number to save its face," he said.