Vaccine truck gets stuck in TMC mantri’s rally against 3 farm laws

A vehicle carrying Covid-19 vaccine was stuck in a traffic jam in Burdwan East of West Bengal on Wednesday for a long time due to a massive demonstration led by Trinamul Congress minister and Jamiat Ulema-eHind state chief Siddiqullah Chowdhury against the three farm laws. The incident took place a day after the first consignment of Covid vaccine reached state.

On Wednesday morning, the vehicle, escorted by the police, was on its way to reach the vaccine in separate lots to a Jangalmahal districts: Bankura after its delivery to the district block health officials in Burdwan East. It however came to a halt on national highway 2 at Galigram in Galsi where Mr Chowdhury's followers were demonstrating over two hours in the middle of the road against the three farms laws.

Coming to know of the vehicle with vaccine remaining stuck in the jam, Mr Chowdhury, who is the minister of state with independent charge for mass education extension and library services, tried to control his followers at the spot. Carrying a wood log, he was seen chasing them to make a passage for the vehicle. But his efforts went in vain. The minister then rode the bonnet of a vehicle to pacify the demonstrators.

Mr Chowdhury, however, said, “It was not intentional. We repeatedly announced on mike to allow ambulances and students on the route to pass smoothly. That was done. The truck with the vaccine was stuck at the end of a long queue of vehicles. The police, soon after coming to know about it, helped it pass by through a different route.”

Taking a dig at him, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya tweeted, “Minister Siddiqullah Chawdhury blocked the path of #CoronaVaccine today due to his political hypocrisy.”