May 1, 2021
How the centre’s anti-people vaccine policy created scarcity
The continued unavailability of slots for vaccination in Kerala needs to be rightly identified as due to the lack of enough supply from the Sangh Government at the centre. A few anti-Kerala elements like the TV debater Chanakam Panicker (whom the channels always present as a neutral, despite him being a CAA-supporting cowdung) as well as sections of the right wing media have been trying to portray it as a failure of the state Government, which it clearly is not.
The Kerala Cabinet has now decided to purchase 1 crore doses of vaccines directly from the two big pharma companies now supplying vaccines in India. The state has been forced to shell out money for vaccine due to two main reasons — the centre’s pro-pharma, anti-people vaccine policy and the less amount of vaccines being provided to Kerala. This too at a rate more than double that paid by the centre for the same amount of vaccine. After enabling this private loot, at the cost of millions of citizens, the Union Minister of State for blamegame (who belongs to Kerala) had the shamelessness to accuse the state government of not sorting out the issues at the vaccination centres because it wants private hospitals to benefit. Thanks to the Kerala media, he gets away with making such statements on a daily basis, without ever having made a positive contribution to the fight against COVID-19 in Kerala, or any contribution as such in any sphere, for that matter. The opening of vaccination slots for people of 18 to 45 years of age is an eyewash by the centre, which will only create more burden on the states.
Despite this purchase, the demand for universal free vaccination has to be raised continuously. Let not the PM-Scarce fund be used to splurge on new buildings, vistas and private jets. Atleast, use the Rs.35,000 crore that was allocated in the budget for COVID-19 vaccination for the purpose it was intended for. Along with the demand for universal free vaccination, we should demand for revealing the identities of the individuals and organisations funding political parties through the anonymous, criminal instrument called electoral bonds. Let’s see how much these two vaccine manufacturers are giving as a cut to the dear leader and his party for all the services rendered, unmindful of the dead bodies piling up across India.
All solidarity to today’s home-bound protests across Kerala against the centre’s inhuman vaccine policy.
April 28
