OPPN LEADERS CALL ON CENTRAL GOVT TO LAUNCH MASS VACCINATION DRIVE FOR FREE

NEW DELHI: Leaders of 13 opposition parties Sunday urged the Centre to launch a free mass vaccination drive across the country in view of the unprecedented surge in Covid-19 cases.

In a joint statement, they also called upon the Centre to ensure uninterrupted oxygen supply to all hospitals and health centres as they have to manage the staggering patient loads due to the rising number of cases.

The signatories include Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and All India Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee.

“In times of the uncontrollable surge of the pandemic across our country, we call upon the Central government to focus all attention in ensuring the uninterrupted flow of oxygen supplies to all hospitals and health centres across the country,” they said in a joint statement.

“We call upon the Central government to immediately launch a free mass vaccination programme across the country,” the statement said.

The opposition leaders said the budgetary allocation of ₹35,000 crore for the vaccination programme must be utilised for this drive.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader and Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief MK Stalin, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav also signed the statement, besides left leaders D Raja, of the Communist Party of India, and Sitaram Yechury, of the CPI-M.