The ruling BJP has finally broken its silence following the opposition’s repeated attacks on the corona vaccine shortage in the country. Accusing the BJP of spreading lies against the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, he said 84 per cent doses of the vaccine had been sent abroad by two of the country’s pharmaceutical companies as part of its commercial and licensing obligations. BJP spokesperson Sandeep Patra told a virtual press conference that 1.07 crore doses of corona vaccine were sent to various countries, out of which 78.5 lakh doses were given to seven neighboring nations. A safe neighborhood is also a good thing for the country.
More than two lakh doses were also provided to UN peacekeeping with more than 6,600 Indian troops deployed, Patra said. Targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Aam Aadmi Party, the BJP spokesperson said that false information was being spread that the Narendra Modi government had sent 6.63 crore doses abroad instead of using vaccines for the people of the country.
Two Indian vaccine companies sent 5.50 million doses of the vaccine abroad as part of their commercial and licensing responsibilities. Patra said the Serum Institute of India had sent a dose of the Covishield vaccine to a foreign partner, AstraZeneca, following an intellectual property right.
Corona vaccine is manufactured in the country by two companies, SII and Bharay Biotech, and they have to procure the raw material required for the vaccine from abroad, prompting them to send some quantity of vaccine abroad due to their agreement, a BJP spokesperson said.
The opposition is spreading false information that the vaccine has been sent abroad ignoring Indians. In the current global environment, no country can do anything alone and globalization requires the cooperation of all.
On the issue raised by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal about giving companies’ vaccine formulas to other competent pharma companies to boost drug production, Patra said the Serum Institute could not do so because the intellectual property rights of the vaccine that AstraZeneca has only sub-licensed to ASI.
Vaccines manufactured by Bharat Biotech require high quality bio-security which only a few companies can provide. The government is in talks with such companies as well as some public enterprises to increase production.
All organizations are working day and night to increase vaccine production. Patra also asked Kejriwal as well as other opposition forces not to politicize the issue. Targeting Kejriwal, Patra added that he kept appearing on TV to justify his point by blaming others.
It also rejected the Delhi government’s claim that it had ordered 1.34 crore doses. Patra, quoting a letter, said the Delhi government had said it planned to get the vaccine’s dose, which was quite different from ordering.
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