'Should we hang ourselves over non-availability of vaccines?': Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda
Bengaluru, May 13: Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers D V Sadananda Gowda on Thursday sought to know whether people in the government should hang themselves for their failure to produce vaccines as was directed by the government.
"The court has with good intention said everyone in the country should get vaccinated. I want to ask you, if the court says tomorrow that you have to give this much (of vaccine), if it has not been produced yet, should we hang ourselves?" Gowda told reporters here.
Replying to queries on the shortage of vaccine, the Union Minister stressed on the plan of action of the government and said its decisions are not guided by any political gain or by any other reason.
Gowda said the government has been doing its job sincerely and honestly during which time some shortcomings have surfaced.
"Practically, certain things which are beyond our control, can we manage it?," the Union Minister sought to know.
He, however, clarified that the government has been doing its best to ensure that in a day or two, things improve and people get vaccinated.
BJP national general secretary C T Ravi, who was present with Gowda, claimed that things would have been worse if arrangements had not been made well in time.
"If proper arrangements were not made well in advance then there would have been fatalities 10 times or 100 times more," Ravi said.
He said oxygen supply has been increased from 300 metric tonnes to 1,500 tonnes due to systematic preparation.
"But our preparations failed because of the unimaginable spread of coronavirus," Ravi told reporters.
Regarding courts pulling up the government on the issue of coronavirus, Ravi said, "Judges are not all-knowing (Sarvajna). Whatever is available with us, based on that the technical advisory committee will recommend how much (vaccine) has to be distributed. Based on their report, we will take a decision."
With the alarming rise in COVID cases in the State, which is reporting 40,000 to 50,000 cases daily, the demand for vaccines has grown manifold.
According to the Karnataka government officials, the State has placed an order of three crore vaccines and the money has already been paid to the two vaccine manufacturers.
However, only seven lakh doses have arrived in the State.
The panicked citizens have been queuing up before the vaccination centres in the State for inoculation only to be turned down.
Union Minister @DVSadanandGowda put in a spot by reporters over shortage of vaccines. "Was the announcement of vaccine drive just for publicity," ask reporters when Gowda asked "If Courts order mass vaccination & enough vaccines aren't manufactured should we hang ourselves?" pic.twitter.com/9LV21ni2Fo
— Anusha Ravi Sood (@anusharavi10) May 13, 2021
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Congress names candidates for 8 Haryana LS seats, fields Kumari Selja, Deepender Hooda
Chandigarh (PTI): The Congress on Thursday announced candidates for eight of the nine Lok Sabha seats it is contesting in Haryana, fielding former Union minister Kumari Selja, Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda and youth leader Divyanshu Budhiraja, besides two sitting MLAs.
The party has also fielded former MP Jai Prakash and leaders Satpal Brahmachari and Mahendra Pratap, according to the list released late Thursday evening.
The Congress is contesting nine of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. It has not yet announced its candidate for the Gurugram constituency.
The Aam Aadmi Party, a constituent of the opposition INDIA bloc, will contest the Kurukshetra seat.
Congress general secretary and former Union minister Selja will contest from the Sirsa (reserved) seat and sitting MLAs Varun Choudhary and Rao Dan Singh from the Ambala (reserved) and the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh Lok Sabha seats, respectively.
Deepender Hooda, son of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, will enter the fray from Rohtak. He has represented the Rohtak parliamentary constituency three times in the past.
Jai Prakash has been fielded from Hisar, the Congress' Haryana youth wing president Divanshu Budhiraja from Karnal, Satpal Brahmachari from Sonipat and Mahendra Pratap from Faridabad.
