Rajeev Chandrasekhar stated Pfizer attempted to “bully” Centre and Congress “trio” driven for overseas vaccines.
New Delhi:
The Congress on Sunday accused Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar of distorting details and indulging in “false propaganda” via alleging that the leaders of the opposition birthday party have been pushing the case of overseas vaccines after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and demanded his apology.
The Congress additionally wrote to Twitter in opposition to Mr Chandrasekhar’s “false propaganda” and to get his tweet blaming the birthday party leaders got rid of, whilst looking for motion in opposition to the minister.
I’ve written to the Minister @Rajeev_GoI who made outrageous fees in opposition to my colleagues and I. My colleague @SupriyaShrinate has written to Twitter additionally one at a time. pic.twitter.com/SWAsZzNYNE
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) January 22, 2023
All India Congress Committee (AICC) normal secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh wrote to Chandrasekhar, pronouncing his tips that the opposition birthday party leaders tried to “bully” the federal government into giving its approval to positive overseas vaccines used to be “entire falsehood”.
“We will keep in mind that for a regime constructed and sustained thru propaganda, why you might really feel forced to make one of these distorted and malicious remark. Thus, at the deserves of your declare, there may be little to mention instead of it’s entire falsehood. At no level did any of the senior leaders that you just named make any remark or statement at the indemnity clause,” the Congress chief wrote to the minister.
“We name on you to apologise, explain and take down the tweet instantly, differently we will be able to be constrained to pursue criminal motion. Your movements are unacceptable and also you will have to be held in charge of spreading false and deceptive knowledge,” he stated.
The Union minister of State for Data Generation had, in a tweet on January 20, stated: “Simply to remind all Indians that Pfizer attempted to bully Executive of India into accepting stipulations of indemnity.” “And Cong trio of Rahul, Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh saved pushing case of overseas vaccines throughout Covid,” he had stated.
Mr Chandrasekhar had additionally shared a video on Twitter of Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla being requested some important questions via journalists in Davos at the corporate’s anti-Covid vaccine.
Mr Ramesh, who’s the chairman of the Parliamentary Status Committee on Science and Generation, Surroundings, Forests, and Local weather Exchange, identified in his letter to the minister {that a} assembly of the committee used to be hung on June 23, 2021 on vaccine construction for Covid and genetic sequencing of the coronavirus and its variants to talk about Indian advances in vaccine manufacturing, which can be documented occasions, and stated he must train himself at the factor earlier than making “malicious and uninformed statements”.
“Right through the second one wave of the pandemic, when India reeled beneath the disaster, when other folks, together with your supporters, tagged their executive representatives and begged for fortify, what did your executive do? Households misplaced family members, hospitals have been stuffed to capability and the country used to be in chaos. Your executive’s dealing with of the disaster was a cautionary story that got here at an ideal price to the folks of India,” he stated.
“Moreover, at a time when your executive used to be in panic mode, it used to be the Indian Nationwide Congress which stepped up and presented to pay for the teach tickets of migrant staff, who have been stranded and in dire want of help,” Mr Ramesh stated.
The previous Union minister added that during a democracy, particularly from time to time of disaster, the federal government will have to paintings with the opposition and now not flip each and every factor into some degree of false propaganda or point-scoring.
The opposition has a constitutional proper to query the executive delays surrounding the vaccination power, vaccine procurement, variety and distribution, “which is what we did on the whole phrases and what we stand at the back of”, he stated.
“However to indicate that the leaders requested for relaxations of an important safeguards is an entire distortion and misrepresentation of the truth,” the Congress chief stated.
“Your put up undermines essentially the most fundamental ideas of democracy and equity. It seeks to absolve your executive of any duty for its mishandling of the Covid disaster and the consequent lack of lives, to mention not anything of the commercial devastation.
“We additionally to find it deeply relating to {that a} minister of the federal government of India would make such false and baseless accusations with none proof to again them up. Such movements are anticipated of on-line trolls, now not of ministers of the federal government who are meant to be held to a better usual of behavior,” he added.
Congress’s social media head Supriya Shrinate has written to Twitter, alleging that Mr Chandrasekhar is circulating “false and threatening propaganda”.
“The tweet in query is unhealthy as it seeks to provide a manufactured, distorted narrative of the political opposition from the time of the pandemic. Now not simplest does it violate Twitter’s group pointers, however such openly false claims from a minister of the Union executive impact correct reporting, replicate a tradition of intimidation to push a view and are insensitive to the a lot of households who misplaced family members throughout the pandemic,” she stated in her letter to the microblogging site.
Ms Shrinate stated because the chairperson of the Congress’s social media division, it’s her accountability to make certain that no social media platform is used as a device to permit such false and malicious reporting.
“The tweet via the minister now not simplest tarnished the popularity of our leaders, but additionally undermined the democratic procedure, the place the opposition’s perspectives are offered falsely, with a planned goal to create confusion, doubt, and animosity among most people, and the falsehood is then amplified thru platforms similar to Twitter.
“We request you to mark this content material as deceptive and false and take speedy steps to take down the similar. We additionally request you to take suitable motion in opposition to the person who posted the tweet, which obviously violates your individual group pointers,” the Congress chief wrote to Twitter.
“Let’s hope Twitter summons braveness to take corrective motion,” Mr Ramesh wrote at the website whilst sharing Ms Shrinate’s letter.
Ms Shrinate stated false and deceptive knowledge could have critical penalties at the public and Congress shall pursue further criminal therapies on this regard.
“We are hoping you’re taking suitable motion on this regard and look ahead to your urged reaction,” she added.
(Except for for the headline, this tale has now not been edited via NDTV team of workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
