Ravi Shankar Prasad appeal to Rahul Gandhi on COVID-19 vaccine

New Delhi, June 21: In a recent development, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has advised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has been criticising the central government over its vaccination policy, to get himself vaccinated against COVID-19.

"The country doesn't know if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has yet vaccinated himself or not. If you (Rahul Gandhi) haven't got the COVID-19 vaccine yet, my humble appeal is that please get yourself vaccinated," Ravi Shankar Prasad said in Bihar's Patna.

Last week, Congress said that party chief Sonia Gandhi has taken both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and that Rahul Gandhi could not take the jab as he contracted the coronavirus disease in May.

A senior party functionary said Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to take the vaccine on May 16, but he tested positive for the coronavirus disease a day before. "Congress president Sonia Gandhi has taken both doses of the vaccine. Rahul Gandhi will take the vaccine after his mandatory wait period ends," a senior leader told a news agency.

The remarks came after several Union ministers and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders questioned whether top Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, have taken the COVID-19 vaccine and asked for the details of their vaccinations to be made public.

The government has said that those who have tested positive for the coronavirus disease should take the vaccine three months after they fully recover.

On Sunday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra defended Rahul Gandhi over the BJP's queries. "Vaccinations are most important for every citizen of our country. Questions were asked by BJP spokespersons and Ministers, 'Why I hadn't taken the vaccine and why do Rahul, Priyanka have no faith in Indian vaccines'. They must get their facts correct," Vadra said in a Facebook post.

Vadra also said that since Rahul Gandhi had contracted COVID-19 while campaigning for the polls he had to wait for a stipulated time to get vaccinated and clarified that his wife and party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has already taken the shot.

Rahul Gandhi has been the most vocal critic of the Centre's response to the coronavirus pandemic and attacked it over its vaccination policy.