With BJP accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of Covid vaccine pilferage, Trinamul leader and state municipal affairs minister, Firhad Hakim, chose to remind the saffron brigade-led-central government that West Bengal can secure its own supply of vaccines if Centre deliberately cuts off adequate supply just for the sake of securing political mileage.
The Trinamul leader, who has been rallying against the BJP ahead of upcoming Assembly polls, warned the BJP and its leaders of Bengal unit not to politicize vaccines which should be made available to citizens all over the country to save their lives from the coronavirus.
Hakim while addressing a public rally chose to clarify to the people that “vaccine is not a private property of the central government. Every state pays taxes to the centre and it is with that money that a central government is able to run the country” he said.
Hakim was caustic in his criticisms of BJP Bengal president Dilip Ghosh who had blamed Mamata Banerjee for vaccine theft.
Hakim said, “Even the BJP doesn’t care about what Dilip Ghosh has to say. If the BJP government does not send adequate supply of vaccines to Bengal, we will secure sufficient vaccines for the people of West Bengal. It is only the chief minister of this state who has promised free vaccine shots to all citizens of the state.” The minister questioned the Centre why it could not provide free vaccines to all Indians.
Addressing the people in the rally, he alleged that India knows how Narendra Modi went onto become the Prime Minister from chief minister of Gujarat. “The Adanis and Ambanis had to pump in crores of rupees to make it possible. There were many senior BJP leaders like Murli Manohar Joshi and LK Advani who could have been the PM but they were sidelined. Now in a quid pro quo, Modi wants to sell-off the entire country and its farmers to these business tycoons. People of West Bengal will never welcome the saffron brigade.”