OI EXCLUSIVE | Akhilesh Yadav Raises Alarm Over Covishield Side Effects, Accuses BJP Of Extortion

Amidst a controversy surrounding the alleged side effects of the Covishield vaccine, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav expressed concern over the issue.

In an exclusive interview with OneIndia, Yadav said that approximately 80 crore Indians have received the Covishield vaccine. He further alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had engaged in extortion with the vaccine maker during the tough times when the country was reeling under the pandemic.

He further said,''Now, the question arises: What might be going through the minds of those who have received the Covishield vaccine certificate? It seems that they may not even consider voting for the BJP.''

Yadav had earlier accused the BJP of risking people's lives to extort political donations from the vaccine manufacturer. He demanded a high-level judicial probe into the matter, emphasizing that allowing such potentially dangerous medicines amounted to a "conspiracy to murder" and those responsible should be prosecuted.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister noted that the original formula of the vaccine manufacturer had indicated a risk of heart attack. He stated that those who had lost loved ones or feared the vaccine's side effects now felt vindicated. Yadav said that those who jeopardize people's lives will not be forgiven.

The UK-based pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca had recently admitted that its COVID-19 vaccine, known as Vaxzevria in Europe and Covishield in India, can cause a rare blood clot-related side effect in very rare cases. However, the causal link remains unknown, according to court papers cited in the UK media.

In India, the AstraZeneca vaccine was manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.

Earlier, Yadav announced that he would not take the "BJP's vaccine" and promised free vaccination for everyone once his government came to power, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.