I can tell you first hand that statements like these and the anti-vaccine coverage that went on 24x7 was single handedly responsible for delaying vaccination of several elderly who could have had a 2nd dose by April if they had acted promptly. Yes, this includes ppl in my family. https://twitter.com/harshmadhusudan/status/1387866489269542914

So many people citing @RahulGandhi and @yadavakhilesh’s nonsense verbatim because they support these leaders/parties. A leader’s job is to lead, not (mis)-lead but then I hardly doubt that any politician ever cares for a single life. Even lives of their own supporters. Shameful.

If state and central govts have blood on their hands for mismanaging the crisis, then opposition has blood on their hands for exacerbating the crisis with their West-sponsored, colonial, anti-vaxxer bullshit. Sadly many alternative medicine believers were also peddling nonsense.

Some of the rumours that elderly ppl were believing:
1. India made vaccine is unsafe for use.
2. Indian vaccine is killing people. See the (irresponsible) media reports of xyz who died after taking vaccine.
3. Vaccine is giving people Corona!
4. Vaccine is Modi conspiracy

5. Modi has cheated us by giving vaccine contracts to his friends and thus the vaccine quality is low.
6. Vaccine is expensive (even though it was priced at ₹0-250).
7. Vaccine data is not published. Its untested and Modi is using Indian public as a guinea pig.

8. There is no vaccine, they are injecting water only.

The list was freaking endless. I had to literally drag my relatives to get them vaccinated which took crucial weeks that could have been the difference in life and death for many.

I wonder how @RahulGandhi and @yadavakhilesh feel about convincing their own supporters to skip life saving vaccine when they themselves took a shot at first chance? They should’ve taken a shot LIVE to motivate ur ppl. Many lost their life coz of your propaganda. Thats on you.

99% of propaganda about America’s greatness is false but since you do look up to it, @RahulGandhi, look at the response of US opposition leaders towards a vaccine that was developed under Trump. They HATED the man and yet they publicly took shots https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/world-leaders-who-got-a-shot-of-covid-vaccine/us-speaker-of-the-house-nancy-pelosi-receives-the-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-/slideshow/79989250.cms

Nobody is asking you to start supporting or loving Modi. Hate on him and his govt all you want but there is a time when you need to stop thinking about your politics and actually care about people and their lives. This is the primary responsibility that comes with leadership.