Why white paper, doesn’t EPS have time to see news?: Ma Subramanian

“We did not want to do politics over it. But since the AIADMK has brought it up, we are forced to inform the public of the previous government’s shortcomings in Covid mitigation.
Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian (Photo| Facebook)
Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian (Photo| Facebook)

CHENNAI: Hitting out at Opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami for demanding a white paper on the Covid vaccination in State, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said that all details regarding the vaccination drive are being provided to the media, and wondered in a tongue-in-cheek manner if the Opposition leader has any time to check the news.

Addressing reporters at the AM Jain College on Saturday, the Health Minister said that even though the Health Department was sharing all details daily, Palaniswami still wants a white paper on it. “However, since he has asked, I will provide all the details again.

“So far, we have received 1,80,32,170 doses and we have used 1,76,19,174 doses. As many as 1.43 crore people have taken the first dose, while 32 lakh have taken the second dose. We are also vaccinating an average of 1.6 lakh people daily. The AIADMK government could only inoculate average 61,000 people daily,” he said.

“We did not want to do politics over it. But since the AIADMK has brought it up, we are forced to inform the public of the previous government’s shortcomings in Covid mitigation. Your (AIADMK) government vaccinated less number of people and did not even seek vaccines from the Union government.

But, Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to the Prime Minister daily on the issue. The CM, our MPs, and I too went to Delhi to reiterate our demand,” the Minister added. He also wondered why the previous government did not take efforts to ensure functioning of the vaccination plants in Coonor and Chengalpet.

Subramanian also criticized a BJP spokesperson for alleging during a TV debate that the State had wasted five lakh doses in June. “Even the Union Health Minister had appreciated TN for vaccinating more people, but a BJP spokesperson is making false claims on TV. In a few States in the north, the governments are coercing their staff to take the jab, warning them of termination from jobs. However, in Tamil Nadu, the government focussed on spreading awareness, and people are coming forward willingly,” he said. 

In conclusion, the Health Minister said, “If Palaniswami still wants a white paper, we are ready to produce it in the Assembly. He himself is asking us to reveal to the public, the shortcomings of his government.”

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