Actor-politician Kamal Haasan slammed political parties for the poll promises made regarding the coronavirus vaccine.
“..If you come with us, you will get the vaccine. Evil promises are being made for something that is non-existent. Dear leaders, a COVID vaccine is a life-saving drug. You are used to playing with people's poverty and if you dare to play with their lives, your political lifetime will be decided by people,” he said in a tweet.
His response comes a day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami said, “When the coronavirus vaccine is developed, it will be administered free of cost to the people of the state, with the government bearing all costs.”
The same day Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced this as one of the poll promises by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, too, announced that the poor people in the state would be given the vaccine free of cost.
As on 22 October, the COVID-19 tally has crossed 7 lakh in Tamil Nadu. Over 90 lakh people have been tested so far, 6,55,170 patients discharged and 10,825 deaths recorded.
In July, Haasan had introduced an initiative, ‘Naame Theervu’, aimed at providing medical help as well as protective equipment in public spaces. The Makkal Needhi Maiam president wanted to create a volunteer army to aid the frontline workers.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)