Bengaluru(PTI): BJP on Sunday demanded an apology from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for attributing a spate of cardiac arrests in Karnataka—particularly in Hassan district—to COVID-19 vaccination, after an expert panel found no evidence to support the claim.

A panel constituted by the government concluded that there is no single cause behind the observed increase in sudden cardiac deaths. Rather, it described the phenomenon as multifactorial, with behavioural, genetic, and environmental risk factors contributing.

The BJP said the Chief Minister must issue an unconditional apology for making what it called a “baseless allegation.”

Calling Siddaramaiah’s remarks “irresponsible,” Union Minister Pralhad Joshi pointed out that premier national institutions including the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and AIIMS-Delhi have all clarified that there is no scientific evidence linking COVID-19 vaccines to heart attacks.

“Siddaramaiah is deliberately making such statements because the vaccine was developed during Prime Minister Modi’s tenure,” Joshi said in Hubballi. “They assumed the pandemic would politically damage the Prime Minister—people would suffer and turn against him. But PM Modi handled COVID with sensitivity and care.”

Joshi said that because the Prime Minister was widely credited with managing the pandemic effectively, the opposition was resorting to unfounded claims.

“After ICMR, NCDC and AIIMS refuted any link between vaccines and cardiac events, now the Karnataka government’s own Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology—a reputed institution not just in the state but across India—has also found no correlation,” Joshi said.

He noted that the committee, led by Dr. Ravindranath, Director of the Jayadeva Institute, was set up by Siddaramaiah himself to examine any possible link between COVID vaccination and cardiac deaths. “The panel has clearly stated that COVID vaccines are not the cause of heart attacks. Will Siddaramaiah apologise now? I strongly condemn his statement,” Joshi added.

BJP spokesperson Dr CN Ashwath Narayan also criticised Siddaramaiah, alleging that his statement was aimed at discrediting Indian-made vaccines and undermining the Prime Minister.

“He questioned the efficacy of a vaccine that saved millions of lives, without citing any scientific basis. Chief minister should apologise to the people of the state for spreading misinformation,” Narayan said.

The observational study conducted at Jayadeva Institute found no association between premature cardiovascular disease and prior COVID-19 infection or vaccination.

“Most global studies and reports did not find any causal link between COVID-19 vaccination and sudden cardiac events. On the contrary, vaccination has been shown to offer long-term protection against cardiac issues,” the panel noted.

Recently, Siddaramaiah had suggested that a spate of heart attack deaths in Hassan district could be linked to the COVID-19 vaccination drive. He had also claimed that the vaccines were “hastily” approved.

His comments drew strong criticism from Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.

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.



Kolar: Tomato prices in Karnataka are likely to surge, with retail rates potentially touching Rs 85 per kg if heavy rains continue to batter Maharashtra and other northern states over the coming days, posing a fresh burden on households that rely on the staple ingredient.

On Sunday, a 15-kg crate of tomatoes at the Kolar APMC market, which is the second-biggest market in Asia, was sold for Rs 750, a sharp increase from Rs 250–Rs 350 just three days ago, The New Indian Express reported.

Traders have warned that if weather conditions do not improve by next week, retail prices of tomatoes would touch Rs 85 per kg in Karnataka.

Kiran, secretary of the APMC market, said that continuous rainfall in Maharashtra, a major tomato-producing state, has disrupted supply to states such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Haryana, and Tamil Nadu.

CMR Srinath, a tomato farmer and merchant at the APMC market, also added that heavy rain has affected the tomato crop in large areas of Maharashtra. “If showers continue in the neighbouring state for another week, the prices at the Kolar APMC market would touch Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 per crate,” TNIE quoted him as saying.

This disruption has significantly increased the demand for tomatoes from Karnataka, especially from the Kolar region.

“Over 200 vehicles carrying over 2,500 tonnes of the fruit left from the APMC market on Sunday to different destinations,” TNIE quoted Kiran as saying.

Despite the high demand, local supply remains limited, as many farmers in Kolar had reportedly avoided cultivating tomatoes due to poor prices over the last four months.