MP bypolls: BJP promises free Coronavirus vaccine

Bhopal: Notwithstanding, the Covid-19 vaccine has yet to discover but in the lines of Bihar, BJP also announced to provide Coronavirus immunization free to all in Madhya Pradesh.

With just five days before to vote for by-polls in the 28 Assembly constituencies, the BJP released its manifesto (Sankalp Patra) and promised for free of cost Coronavirus vaccine to all.

Congress has two weeks ago committed in its Vachan Patra that if the party returns to the power in the state it would provide Covid-19 social security pension and job or self-employment to those who died at the time of fighting the pandemic.

Hours after the BJP released its manifesto for Bihar on October 22, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced that Madhya Pradesh, too, will provide free vaccine to the poor "who can't afford it". However, the manifesto makes no such distinction, promising the vaccine

to all.

The Congress has begun to corner the state government. Former CM and MPCC president Kamal Nath said that the vaccine had yet to see the light of the day but BJP had begun to make false promises in its manifesto.

"The BJP's manifestos a pack of lies and it is playing politics over vaccine. Every Indian is entitled to get vaccine but by including it in an election manifesto, the BJP has given an example of dirty politics," Swadesh Sharma, the spokesperson of the state Congress told the Millennium Post.

The by-polls, scheduled on November 3, to be held in 28 Assembly segments are largest ever in the history of the country. Counting of votes will be held on November 10. Former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia had joined the saffron party in March.

The by-elections were necessitated after the Congress government in the state fell when 22 of its MLAs resigned from the membership of the Assembly and joined the BJP along with Scindia. After then, three other Congress legislators had walked away with the BJP and resigned from the Assembly. Remaining three are holding due to an untimely demise of the MLAs.

"The Covid-19 pandemic is a terrific problem before the world not only in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP has come forward to get relief to the people of the state by making this announcement. Surely, the vaccine will be discovered soon and could be costly. The promise to provide it on free of cost will be a major step of the party in public welfare," Deepak Vijayvargiya, the chief spokesman of the state unit of the BJP told the Millennium Post.

In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Congress promised voters a pension scheme for widows of the sole bread earners of a family who died of the disease, and a honorarium hike for anganwadi workers and ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activist).

The Congress also resolved to provide employment to local youths who lost jobs as commercial enterprises shut during the pandemic. The party also said it would help small businesses hit during the pandemic re-establish through interest-free loans of up to

Rs 50,000.