BJP props up Union Minister Hardeep Puri to take on Amarinder Singh over vaccine row, farmer protest

Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 5

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday launched Union Minister Hardeep Puri to take on Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on issues related to Punjab, including “diversion” of Covid vaccines to private hospitals and farmers’ agitation against the three central farm laws.

Puri, who ripped into the Punjab government claiming that private hospitals in Mohali charged Rs 3,200 and more for a Covid shot that cost much less, also took on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his persistent attacks against the Narendra Modi government with the “where is the vaccine of our children” charge.

Stating that “vaccines sold for profit in Punjab were for the 18-44 age group population,” the union minister told Rahul Gandhi that “vaccines for children are being thrown in garbage in Rajasthan and used for profiteering in Punjab”, the two Congress ruled states. There have been allegations of vaccines being “dumped” in dustbins in health centres in Rajasthan. The BJP has also accused the Ashok Gehlot government of “wasting” vaccines, a charge Rajasthan denied.

Referring to Punjab Health Minister’s statement that “he was not in charge of vaccines”, Puri wondered who then took the decision and why it was rolled back.  

“Why did the government roll back the decision if nothing was wrong with it? Why did the Health Minister say he does not have control over vaccines? Was there an arrangement between the Punjab government and hospitals,” he wondered, adding that he was not raising these questions as a union minister but a ‘karyakarta’ of the party from Punjab.

The minister said it was “shameful” that the Punjab government was trying to profit from vaccines meant for people. “When we raised it, the Captain said to withdraw the order, which means it was fishy. Why was the decision taken in the first place?” he said.

Puri said as per Punjab government officer and in-charge of Covid-19 vaccination, Vikas Garg, 4.29 lakh doses of Covishield were procured at Rs 13.25 crore, an average amount Rs 309 per dose while 1,14,190 Covaxin doses were procured at Rs 4.70 crore, averaging to Rs 412. If these figures are true then the real amount of profit is not just Rs 2.40 crore, he said.

Quoting the Garg’s order, he also questioned how the government is planning to get back the vaccines already administered. The letter signed by Vikas Garg said it “has not been taken in the right spirit and is hereby withdrawn”. It also said that “private hospitals should return forthwith all the vaccine doses available with them. The doses which they have utilised as of date should also be returned once they get supplies from the manufacturers. 

Puri also slammed Congress for opposition to the three central farm laws and the Central Vista project. The union minister said that the “pro-farmer” Modi government had agreed to all demands by farmers and taken several steps, including DBT on MSP, for their benefit.