Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accuses BJP of vacci-nationalism

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 17 (ANI): 'Vacci-nationalism' should be stopped and it should not be used for the political benefits, said Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday.
"The vaccination is for common people and scientists have developed it. The BJP-led government should not do Vacci-nationalism," Chowdhury said adding that Mamta Banerjee too shouldn't politicise the matter.
"Because of the confusion regarding the vaccination drive, people are afraid of being vaccinated. This raises questions about the success of the vaccination drive," he added.
After Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs got vaccinated during the first phase of the nation-wide vaccination drive, Chowdhury said, "The MLAs sent the message that it is important to save one's life than saving the life of the common people."
PM Modi launched the pan-India rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination drive on Saturday via video conferencing.
The Indian COVID-19 vaccine drive is billed as the world's largest vaccination programme, covering the entire length and breadth of the country. The drive aims to first inoculate millions of its healthcare and frontline workers and reach an estimated three crores people by the end of its first phase.
Referring to the issue of seat-sharing, Chowdhury told ANI that the decisions regarding seat-sharing cannot be made in one meeting.
"The polarising agenda of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and TMC will not work," the Congress leader said adding that Congress and its alliance left parties would focus on the important issues of the common people.
Congress will fight the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal in alliance with the Left parties.
Reacting to the ongoing farmers' protest, the Congress leader said, "Fifty farmers have lost their lives while protesting on the different borders of the national capital. How many more farmers have to sacrifice their lives to make the union government understand that farmers want the new farm laws to be repealed?"
Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws - Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
In response to the Shiv Sena attacked its ally Congress opposing the name change of Maharashtra's Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar, Chowdhury said that there are many roads in the country named after Britishers but they would not try to change them.
"They only change names of the city or roads named after the Muslim rulers. We cannot change our country's past whether we like it or not." (ANI)