'Use Central Vista money for vaccine, repeal farm laws'

New Delhi: As India continues to report over 3 lakh daily new COVID-19 cases, 12 major opposition parties have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that the Centre take immediate action to check the spread of Covid in the country.

Calling the pandemic an "apocalyptic human tragedy", the opposition parties, in a joint letter, have suggested nine measures, which include free vaccines, a stop to the work on the Central Vista project and repeal of farm laws.

The opposition leaders, including some chief ministers, have also demanded free foodgrains to the needy and Rs 6,000 per month to the unemployed.

"We have repeatedly in the past drawn your attention, independently and jointly, to the various measures that are absolutely imperative for the Central government to undertake and implement. Unfortunately, your government has either ignored or refused all these suggestions. This only compounded the situation to reach such an apocalyptic human tragedy," the letter read.

"Without going into all the acts of commission and omission by the Central government that have brought the country to such a tragic pass, we are of the firm opinion that the vaccines should be procured Centrally from all available sources — global and domestic," it said, adding that the government must immediately start a free and universal mass vaccination campaign across the country.

The letter written by Bharat Biotech Chairman and Managing Director Dr Krishna Ella, on May 11, to the Delhi government's principal secretary (health and family welfare) also mentioned the "unprecedented demand" for Covaxin.

The other suggestions that have been given by the opposition leaders include invoking compulsory licensing to expand domestic vaccine production, spending budgetary allocation of Rs 35,000 crore for the vaccines, stopping Central Vista construction and using the allocated money for procuring oxygen and vaccines.

The opposition parties have also demanded releasing of all money held in the unaccounted private trust fund as well as PMCares to buy more vaccines, oxygen and medical equipment required and providing a financial assistance of at least Rs 6,000 per month to all jobless.

Free distribution of foodgrains to the needy as over one crore tonnes of foodgrains are currently rotting in Central godowns and repeal farm laws to protect lakhs of our annadatas becoming victims of the pandemic so that they can continue to produce food to feed the Indian people, the letter said.

The signatories to the joint letter include Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former PM and JDS leader HD Deve Gowda, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee (TMC), Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena), Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin (DMK), and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren (JMM).

Others signatories of the joint letter include former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah (NC) and Akhilesh Yadav (SP), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), D Raja (CPI) and Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M).

The letter is not signed by Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party.