'Vaccine diplomacy' costing India's youth dearly: Chadha writes to PM

New Delhi: In a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, AAP's MLA Raghav Chadha said the Government of India is prioritising the international community over Indian citizens in the matter of providing Covid-19 vaccines.

Chadha said that the Central Government has been indulging in diplomatic adventurism by exporting over 64 million doses to 84 countries and that it has completely overlooked and neglected the Fundamental Rights of its citizens to basic healthcare.

"I wish to ask the Government of India as to what its priority is – the people of Delhi or of Dominican Republic? The people of Maharashtra or of Mauritius? The people of Bengal or Bangladesh? Gujarat or Guyana? Odisha or Oman? Uttar Pradesh or the United Kingdom? Kerala or Kenya?," he questioned the PM in the letter.

The AAP MLA said that aid to other countries cannot be given out at the cost of the young India crowd, which has been waiting for its turn ever since the vaccine became available.

He said that the country is facing an acute shortage of vaccine doses with thousands of vaccination centres across the country being shut for want of doses. Several states have run out of stocks of vaccines and remaining states have stocks left only for three-five days.

Chadha implored the GoI to adopt 'Vaccine Nationalism', and prioritise vaccinating the entire 135 crore in India before earning trivial international laurels. "Do not let vaccination centres shut while doses are being flown out of the country. It is further alarming to read reports that the Government of India will be exporting nearly 45 million doses to Pakistan in the coming days. On one hand, the Government of India claims that Pakistan has only exported terrorism to India. On the other hand, we are exporting life-saving vaccines to Pakistan," he wrote in the letter.

While adopting Vaccine Nationalism, he urged the Central government to keep in mind 'Vaccine Universalisation' while giving out vaccines. "I appeal to the Government of India to not regard youngsters as expendable collateral damage in the Government's diplomatic moves. The Fundamental Right to health is not the reserve of just the old and the ailing. It is important that the Government of India urgently understands that we need Vaccine Universalisation," he said.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor claimed Chadha's letter was neither motivated by nationalism, nor did it have any serious concern for the youth.