BJP leader Shilbhadra Dutta courts controversy after taking vaccine shot

Kolkata: Shilbhadra Duttta, Barrackpore MLA who had recently joined BJP after resigning from the Trinamool Congress triggered controversy as he received Covid vaccine without being eligible for the vaccination programme in the first round.

Dutta has not been a health worker nor is he fighting the Covid battle from the front. The images of Dutta receiving vaccination went viral and this has welcomed controversy with many people raising questions on the decision of Dutta who was vaccinated at the BN Bose Hospital in Barrackpore on Saturday.

His name was there in the list of vaccine recipients as he was a member of the Rogi Kalyan Samity of the BN Bose Hospital. He received a call from the hospital urging him to receive the shots as his names featured in the list. Dutta called up his doctor to inquire whether he would be able to receive the vaccine.

He had undergone a liver transplant a few months ago. As his doctor advised him to get vaccinated, Dutta went ahead and received the vaccine.

Many have criticised the decision as nobody other than doctors, nurses, health workers are entitled to receive the vaccine in the first phase. MLAs are not entitled to get the shots in the initial phase as the majority of the health workers are yet to receive the vaccine.

It may be mentioned here that some other MLAs also received shots that were not entitled to get it. Dutta on Tuesday said that he committed a mistake by receiving the vaccine.