BENGALURU : After offering to pay for the tickets of migrant workers who were heading back home during the lockdown last year, Congress leaders in the state on Friday said they are willing to procure COVID-19 vaccines for the people.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress committee president D K Shivakumar said Rs 100 crore, which includes Rs 10 crore from the party funds as a commitment towards the fight against COVID-19, and Rs 90 crore from MP/MLA/MLC local area development funds, public donations and fundraisers, etc., will be set aside to procure vaccines directly from manufacturers.
The offer came with a request that the State and Central governments allow the Congress party to procure vaccines directly. The initiative is being seen as an attempt to put both the State and Centre on the mat over the vaccination policy.
"The government has miserably failed to protect the people and vaccinate them. Hence, our party MPs, MLAs and MLCs, who are 95 in number, have decided to donate at least Rs 1 crore each to procure vaccines," said former Chief Minister and Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah.
The decision comes barely two days after the State Government suspended the vaccination drive for those aged between 18-44 due to shortage in supplies.
'More than works, it is important to save lives'
Shivakumar, who accompanied Siddaramaiah, said Congress parliamentarians and legislators are ready to stop development works in their areas. "We are ready to stop all development works in our constituencies. It is our bounden duty to save lives rather than carry out development works," he added.
The Congress sought "two small permissions" from the BJP-led governments at the State and Centre to procure vaccines and intends to write a letter to this effect. "My appeal to the BJP is to not let politics come in the way and in the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat, allow Congress to directly procure and administer vaccines," Shivakumar said, taking to his social media pages later in the day.
Currently, vaccine procurement rules in India allow central and state governments, hospitals and industries to directly procure vaccines, the party said. The gesture is similar to Shivakumar's offer to pay for the tickets of migrant workers who were being charged subsidised prices by the State Government during the national lockdown.
Stung by the offer, the state had waived ticket fares and assured free travel to migrant workers. Taking a cue from Karnataka Congress leaders, the party’s national leaders too had made similar offers to the Union Government.