'Who would be responsible for heart attack deaths': Oppn parties slam BJP over Covishield row
New Delhi/Varanasi, Apr 30: A political row erupted on Tuesday over the issue of "side effects" of Covishield vaccine, with the Samajwadi Party alleging that the BJP took "commission" from the manufacturer of the Covid jab and the RJD accusing the Centre of administering "wrong" vaccine to people of the country.
Who would be responsible for people dying of heart attacks, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Uttar Pradesh Congress also attacked Modi over the issue and alleged that the PM has played with the lives of people. "Is this Modi's guarantee?" UP Congress chief Ajay Rai asked.
UK-headquartered pharma giant AstraZeneca has admitted that in "very rare cases", its COVID-19 vaccine, which is known as Vaxzevria in Europe and Covishield in India, can cause a blood clot-related side effect but the causal link is unknown, according to court papers being quoted in the UK media.
In India, the AstraZeneca vaccine was manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
Attacking the ruling BJP over the issue, SP national general secretary Shivpal Yadav said, "It has been exposed now that they have taken commission in vaccines too. Low quality vaccines and medicines were given to the people." Shivpal Yadav was talking to reporters in UP's Etah.
Dimple Yadav, wife of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, said people were "forcibly" administered Covid vaccines in the country.
"A donation of Rs 200-300 crore was taken (by the BJP) and they (company) were given permission to sell the vaccine. People were forcibly administered vaccines. The corruption in manufacturing the vaccine has come to the fore due to which people are dying now," said Dimple Yadav, who is the SP candidate from Mainpuri Lok sabha seat.
"Akhilesh ji had said that we would not get the vaccine administered because till then the vaccine was not tested. Now, the number of heart attacks has increased in the country and people are suffering from serious diseases due to this haste," she told reporters in Etah.
The Daily Telegraph reported that in a legal document submitted to the High Court in London in February for a group action brought by 51 claimants, AstraZeneca admitted that the vaccine developed with the University of Oxford to protect against COVID-19 may cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) in "very rare cases".
Speaking to reporters in Varanasi, UP Congress chief Rai said that Prime Minister Modi not only promoted Covishield during the pandemic, but he and his party leaders also asked for votes in the name of the Covid vaccine in the elections.
"Will Modi ji and the BJP take responsibility of the deaths caused due to the side effects of the vaccine in the country?" Rai said.
The RJD alleged that the ruling BJP pushed the vaccine to get donations through electoral bonds.
"Mr. Prime Minister, who will be responsible for the millions of heart attack deaths that happened, and may happen in future due to the side effects of the Covishield vaccine?" the RJD said in a post in Hindi on X.
"In order to collect donations through Electoral Bonds, BJP gave the wrong vaccine to crores of countrymen? Experts should shed light on this," the Lalu Yadav-led party said.
कोविशील्ड वैक्सीन के साइड इफेक्ट्स के कारण हार्ट अटैक से हुई लाखों मौतों एवं भविष्य में भी अगर हार्ट- अटैक से आपकी, हमारी अथवा किसी की भी मौत होती है तो इसके जिम्मेदार कौन होंगे, प्रधानमंत्री जी?
— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) April 30, 2024
बीजेपी ने Electoral Bond के ज़रिए चंदा लेने के चक्कर में करोड़ों देशवासियों को… pic.twitter.com/JgYmKZqq06
मोदी की गारंटी👇
— UP Congress (@INCUttarPradesh) April 30, 2024
52 करोड़ रुपए का चंदा = करोड़ों देशवासियों की जान का सौदा! pic.twitter.com/Samcdt82KE
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Pune accident: Porsche car's registration was pending since March due to non-payment of Rs 1,758 fee
Mumbai, May 21: The permanent registration of the luxury Porsche car involved in the accident in which two IT professionals were fatally knocked down by in Pune city was pending since March due to non-payment of Rs 1,758 fees by the owner, top officials of the Maharashtra transport department said on Tuesday.
The electric luxury sports sedan - Porsche Taycan - was being driven allegedly by a prominent builder's 17-year-old son, who the police claim was drunk at the time of the accident that took place in Kalyani Nagar area in the early hours of Sunday.
Maharashtra Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar told PTI that the Porsche car was imported in March by a dealer in Bengaluru and from there it was sent to Maharashtra on a temporary registration.
"When it was produced at the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO), it was found that a certain registration fee was not paid and the owner was asked to pay the amount for completion of the procedure. However, the vehicle was not brought to the RTO for the completion of the registration process after that," he said.
According to officials, road tax is exempted for electric vehicles registered in Maharashtra, and hence for the registration of this Porsche Taycan model, the registration fees that were applicable were only Rs 1,758 with the break-up of Rs 1,500 hypothecation fees, Rs 200 smart card RC fees and Rs 58 postal charges.
Interestingly, as per Porsche India's website, the ex-showroom price of the vehicle manufacturer's various cars starts at Rs 96 lakh and goes over Rs 1.86 crore. Though the price of the Porsche Taycan model is not given on the website, transport department sources said that it could be in crores.
The officials said that as per their records, the vehicle had a valid temporary registration certificate issued by Karnataka with a validity of six months from March to September 2024.
They said that the Porsche dealer in Bengaluru was not at fault as he had handed over the car after doing the temporary registration. Hence, it was the responsibility of the owner to get it registered at the RTO before plying it on the roads. During the temporary registration period, the vehicles can only be used to drive to and from the RTO.
Bhimanwar said that the teenage boy, who was said to be driving the car, will be barred from getting a driving licence until he turns 25 years of age, and the luxury car will also not be allowed to register at any RTO office for 12 months as its existing temporary registration will be cancelled as per the provisions in the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act.
Under the sub-sections of Section 199A (offenses by juveniles) of the MV Act, the transport authorities can take this action.
Bhimanwar said that their department is going to take stringent action in this case and the Pune RTO has been asked to register the police complaint for violation of provisions in the MV Act
"Whatever violations related to the Motor Vehicles Act happened in the issue, those will be registered in the FIR," Bhimanwar said, adding that they will also invoke the procedure for cancellation of the temporary registration of the vehicle as per the provisions in the act.
"The vehicle will be impounded for 12 months," another top official of the transport department said, adding that there is gross negligence in this case as the vehicle was driven at a speed over 160 kmph, allegedly in an inebriated state as per media reports.
The official said that there are several violations in this case, including driving the vehicle without a driving licence and without its registration, among others.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in a press conference in Pune this evening that the car was purchased in Bengaluru and was brought here.
"As per the primary information, the RTI had carried out its inspection but the tax which was required to be paid was not paid. If there is any violation regarding that, a separate FIR will be registered," he said.
