It seems the democratic and genuine public spirit has gone too low that all actions and decisions of a democratically elected and duly mandated government are often seen with deep suspicion and trashed out-rightly without objective analysis thus demonstrating mere politics only. The latest in the series is spreading canards by the opposition in the country. It is regrettable that opposition leaders have instigated the campaign against the Covid-19 vaccine. Instead of allaying fears and fighting superstition, they are spreading doubts about the worthiness of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. As it is, all sorts of rumours about the vaccine causing impotence and/or sterilisation or containing fragments of pig meat etc., are being spread among the Muslims.
Surprisingly, two otherwise educated leaders of the Congress questioning the decision of the Drugs Controller General of India to approve Covaxin as a back-up to the Serum Institute of India’s Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine prompted public distrust of the scientifically researched and tested antidote to the pandemic.
It is a worldview that the vaccines launched in the democratic countries after undergoing intense scientific research and processes are transparent and completely above-board.
Like many issues of public and national importance in the past few years have been subjected to cheap comments and debates. Political motives were often attributed to fair acts of governance by adopting cheap tactics.
In the case of the Bharat Biotech vaccine, both its scientific head and the DCGI head are on record that the relevant trial data required for its approval was duly vetted, and will soon be made public for examination by the wider medical community. The matter should have rested there. But the discordant note struck by the opposition leaders undermined faith in modern science. The political leaders should well understand that the present government has a full five-year term and is empowered to govern as per their mandate given by the people of this country. Opposition should show patience and do constructive criticism and opposition. This country has suffered immensely due to negative politics. The stereo-type course needs serious introspection. It is enough now and people see all this.
