LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday welcomed the Centre’s decision to provide free vaccines to states for all above 18 years starting June 21, and asked people to get themselves vaccinated.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also said that he would get himself vaccinated.
“Seeing the public outrage, the government instead of politicising the corona vaccine announced that it would give the vaccines doses. We were against the BJP’s vaccine but welcome the vaccine of ‘Government of India’. I will also get vaccinated. I appeal to those who could not get vaccinated for the lack of vaccines to do so,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.
In an address to the nation on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the central government will provide free vaccines to states for all above 18 years starting June 21.
When the coronavirus vaccine was launched in January, Yadav had sought to know from the government how the drive will be conducted and when the poor will get the shot free of cost.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister had said he has faith in doctors of the country but not the government.
Yadav had also triggered a controversy, saying he will not get himself injected with a “BJP vaccine” against coronavirus.
“We have full faith in our doctors but not in the government. It is good that coronavirus vaccine has come out but only believe what the doctors say, not Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath,” he had said.
SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav had got himself vaccinated at a private hospital here on Monday.
The BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit had described it as a “good message”, and said SP workers and its president should take inspiration from him.
