Amit Shah slams Congress for questioning COVID-19 vaccines

Belagavi (Karnataka) [India], January 17 (ANI): Slamming the Congress party for "questioning COVID-19 vaccines" during pan-India vaccination drive, Union Home Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader (BJP) Amit Shah on Sunday said that Congress leaders can only oppose something and if someone else is doing it, they stop it too.
Shah asserted that both vaccines developed in India are completely safe and urged people to get vaccinated when their turn comes up.
This comes a day after Congress Member of Parliament Manish Tewari raised questions about the efficacy and safety of two COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use in the country.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now started the world's largest corona vaccination programme. Congress leaders raised questions about Covid-19 vaccine. We know you cannot do anything other than protest and if someone else is doing it, they stop it too. I want to tell them at least do not stop the ones making efforts," Shah said at a rally in Belagavi, Karnataka.
"I have come here to assure the people of the country that both vaccines made in India are completely safe. Do not believe what Congress says. When your turn comes, please get the vaccination administered and India will soon become a corona-free country," he added.
Two vaccines--Covaxin and Covishield-- have received Emergency Use Authorisation (EAU) after going through established safety and immunogenicity protocols in a well-prescribed regulatory process and these are being administered during the vaccination drive.
Further attacking the Congress party, Shah said, "I want to ask Congress leaders, you ruled the country for four generations, then why was there no cooking gas in homes of poor women? Why there was no toilet, electricity, homes, Ayushman Bharat scheme for poor? Because they wanted to remove the poor and not poverty?"
"In the 13th Finance Commission, the Sonia-Manmohan government gave Rs 88,583 crore for the development of Karnataka. In the 14th Finance Commission, the Modi government has contributed Rs 2,19,506 crore for the development of Karnataka. Modiji did a lot of work for the eradication of poverty and tried to raise the standard of living of the poor," he added.
Union Home Minister lauded the 'self-reliant India' call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"If we all 130 million people of India use what is made in the country, then India will be the world's topmost economy automatically. Earlier, we used to buy toys from China, but now the country's first toy-manufacturing cluster is being built in Koppal. You should all be proud that children across India will play with Koppal toys and we won't have to buy from China," he said.
During the rally, Shah lauded the efforts of BJP workers in Gram Panchayat polls and urged the people of Karnataka to vote for the party in Taluka Panchyata and Zilla Panchayat polls.
"Of the total 5,670 Gram Panchayats, BJP registered victory on 3,142. Out of a total of 86,183 panchayat members, more than 45,000 BJP workers have been elected. Today I want to tell the people of Karnataka that in the coming days, elections for Taluka Panchayat and Zilla Panchayat are also coming. In these elections, give more than 75 per cent seats to BJP, for the development work of the state," he said.
Before addressing the rally at Belagavi, Shah met the family members of the party's general secretary Belagavi district, Raju Chikkangoudar who passed away recently.
This ongoing visit is Shah's first trip after the Karnataka cabinet expansion which left many BJP leaders displeased. Earlier today, the Minister addressed a public rally at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College ground in Bagalkot district on the second day of his two-day visit to the state. (ANI)