Centre "forcefully" stopped Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine: KCR hits out at Modi govt

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has alleged that the Central government did everything possible to forcefully prevent import of COVID19 vaccines from Pfizer especially when people were ready to get the best vaccineRao claimed that he and several other Chief Ministers had lobbied for Pfizer in India but the PM Modi Government stalled the entry of the US pharmaceutical giant into IndiaThe Chief Ministers remark at his recent rally in Maharashtras Nanded came days after Union Minister of State for Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar claimed that Pfizer had tried to bully the Indian government into accepting an indemnity clause for supplying its mRNA COVID vaccineMoS Chandrasekhar shared a tweet of Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the World Economic Forum in Davos in which the pharma company official stated that senior leaders in the Opposition had put pressure on the Centre to procure foreignmade vaccines during the pandemic rather than choosing Made in India vaccinesAlso Read A new research decodes why Covid19 kills more men than womenAddressing a press conference in Maharashtras Nanded on Sunday KCR said that Make in India has become a Joke in IndiaToday many multinational companies are leaving China but why are we not able to attract them Why are those companies not turning towards us If Make in India would have been right ease of doing would have been right if they were feasible then why were not allowed to come to IndiaThere is a company namely Pfizer which manufactures vaccines it was stopped from entering India during COVID19 No matter how hard the company tried but they the Centre did not allow them to come here What was the reason questioned the Telangana chief ministerWhile the public wanted to get the best vaccine people also wanted to buy it yet the company was stopped forcefully We also tried many Chief Ministers also had talks with PMO and Niti Aayog but they Govt did not allow them Pfizer to come KCR saidKCR claimed that several multinational companies which were leaving China like Pfizer were being prevented from entering India and the Central government was promoting slogans of Make in India to encourage crony capitalism and mislead peopleWhere is the environment in India Do we have an environment of Make in India like the slogans they are giving Do we have ease of doing business Are we provided with the facilities If there is then why are we are not able to get international companies he askedTaking a dig at the Centre KCR further alleged They will work for those who are their friends Will inflate their stock market why will they let others to comeBut the Central government had said that they will not buy the COVID19 vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna because indigenous vaccines will be more affordable and easier to storeIndia was in discussions with US companies Pfizer and Moderna in 2021 for the supply of these international vaccines but their terms and conditions were not accepted ultimately by India The Centre declined to meet the requests by the US pharma firms for legal protection over any side effects from the use of their vaccines which are widely used in the United States and EuropeHowever India successfully vaccinated its citizens with Made in India vaccines under its nationwide vaccination drive under which over 22016 crore doses of the COVID19 vaccine have been administered in the two years since its launchUnion Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya recently tweeted that Indias feat was the worlds largest and most successful vaccination drive He saluted the efforts of doctors and other healthcare workers on the front line who made this achievement possibleThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever