Has Rahul Gandhi got himself vaccinated? BJP hits back

New Delhi, June 22: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for politicising India's ongoing battle against the Covid pandemic.

"Before Rahul Gandhi pontificates on Covid management, notwithstanding that Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Maharashtra, all Congress ruled, have been laggards, he should let us know if he has got himself vaccinated, since Congress actively promoted vaccine hesitancy," Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) IT Cell head Amit Malviya tweeted soon after Rahul Gandhi released white paper on India's covid-19 management.

Union Minister Smriti Irani mocked Rahul Gandhi as a "gyani baba (wise monk)" who is "dishing out pearls of wisdom" to others while not introspecting why Congress ruled states fared poorly.

She claimed that Congress-ruled states "did the worst" in terms of vaccination, even as India created a record by vaccinating more than 86 lakh people in a single day.

• Who demanded decentralization & then did a u-turn?- Congress

• Which states did the worst in terms of vaccination yesterday even as the country created a world record? - Congress ruled states

कहावत है ‘दिया तले अंधेरा’ - समझ जाये तो बेहतर है।

— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) June 22, 2021

In a virtual address, the Congress leader said it is clear that the management of the first and second wave of COVID-19 was "disastrous".

"Ninety per cent of those who have died could have been saved. The biggest reason for this was the lack of oxygen at the time. While there is no shortage of oxygen in the country. PM's tears did not save the lives of people but oxygen could have," Rahul added.

Rahul Gandhi said it is important that "we cross the bridge of 100 per cent vaccination as soon as possible".