Govt celebrated 'Tika Utsav' but made no arrangements to provide vaccines: Priyanka Gandhi
New Delhi: Attacking the Centre, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said the BJP-led government celebrated 'Tika Utsav' in April but allegedly did not make arrangements to provide vaccines against COVID-19 which led to a decline in vaccinations.
The government had marked 'Tika Utsav', a vaccination drive between April 11 and 14, with an aim to inoculate the maximum number of eligible people against coronavirus amid a surge in cases.
"India is the largest vaccine-producing country. The BJP government marked 'Tika Utsav' on April 12, but did not make arrangements for providing vaccines and in 30 days there was an 82 per cent decline in our vaccinations," Gandhi alleged, sharing graphics comparing the number of vaccinations on April 12 and May 9.
She also shared a graph showing that India was behind countries like the US, the UK, Turkey and France in terms of vaccinating citizens.
"Modi ji went to vaccine factories, also got photographs clicked, but why did his government placed its first order for vaccine doses only in January 2021?" the Congress general secretary said.
"The United States and other countries placed orders with Indian vaccine companies long ago. Who will take responsibility for this?" she said.
It is not possible to fight coronavirus without ensuring that the vaccination drive reaches every household, she asserted.
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Trump’s fresh threat to bomb Iran amid reports of deal to end war
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran with more bombing if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz, amid a report that the warring sides were nearing an agreement to end the war.
US media outlet Axios reported, quoting US officials and two other sources, that the US and Iran were getting close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.
The US expects Iranian responses on several key points over the next 48 hours, Axios reported, adding that nothing has been agreed yet. This was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.
"Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before," Trump said.
According to Axios, the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the US agreeing to lift its sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
It said many of the terms laid out in the memo would be contingent on a final agreement being reached, leaving the possibility of renewed war or an extended limbo in which the hot war has stopped, but nothing is truly resolved.
