Former Maharashtra CM launches attack on Modi govt.

As BJP completes 7 years at Centre, Cong., Sena say govt. must introspect on its decisions

On the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) completion of seven years in power at the Centre, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. Mr. Chavan claimed that the Centre’s vaccine policy was “a major scam” and demanded a probe into it, while alleging complete mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Central government’s part. He said that never in the history of independent India had the Centre shifted the responsibilities of vaccine manufacturing and procuring to the State governments. “The Central government is expected to provide free vaccines to citizens of the country. Instead, it is shifting this responsibility to State governments. Why are different prices being quoted for Central, State governments and private hospitals? Moreover, the Centre ought to have placed an order of 200 crore vaccine doses much earlier by which the vaccine costs would have been reduced,” said the Congressman, speaking in Pune. He pointed out that the ‘splitting’ of vaccine orders — by the Centre, State and other entities — only ended up benefiting private vaccine manufacturers.