Thiruvananthapuram MP and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is undergoing treatment for Covid-19, appealed the Centre to make vaccination universal and free.

In a video message sent from the hospital bed, Tharoor said the Centre’s announcements do not look realistic. “Having seen the statement by the government that everyone will be vaccinated by the end of December, while seeing the availability or lack of vaccines I wonder how the government is going to get there. I support the Congress’ campaign for a massive change in government’s policy to permit universal vaccination for all Indians within the promised deadline of December and do so free of cost,” Tharoor said.

Also read: Covid-19 vaccination: India administers over 21.8 crore doses so far

He said it is unacceptable that this government should be demanding the States, private hospitals and others compete in some sort of market free for all to buy vaccines at different prices, extortionist prices in some cases when the Centre had an arrangement to buy vaccines at affordable prices and give them to public for free. “That was the policy at the beginning of the vaccination drive. Let us have a universal and free vaccination policy to save our nation from Covid,” he said.

“I have been through a lot. I don’t want my fellow citizens suffer even a fraction of what I had done and certainly not to do worse than me as so many have in the tragedy that has unfolded in our nation.” Tharoor added.

comment COMMENT NOW