Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for spearheading India's Covid-19 vaccination campaign and credited him for saving countless lives across the nation.

"Today, we are alive because Modi gave us the vaccine. Had we not taken the vaccine, we wouldn't be here today to witness this rally. It was Modi who protected our lives,” Fadnavis said at a rally in Sangli in western Maharashtra.

The senior BJP leader asserted that PM Modi played a pivotal role in securing vaccines and ensuring their widespread distribution.

“Only a few countries had invented the vaccine. They believed that India would come seeking assistance (from them) in the form of Covid vaccines,” Devendra Fadnavis said.

Underscoring India's self-reliance on Covid-19 vaccines, he added, “Modiji brought scientists together, provided them with the necessary resources, and facilitated the manufacturing of a Covid vaccine in the country.”

"Today, 100 countries acknowledge that their citizens are alive because of Modi. I would say set aside development because ‘jaan hai toh jahan hai’ (life is paramount). We are alive because of Modi, and for this reason alone, we can express our gratitude by blessing (voting for) him,” PTI quoted Fadnavis as saying.

Fadnavis was seeking support for BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate Sanjay Kaka Patil, who is up against Chandrahar Patil of the Shiv Sena (UBT).

India has officially recorded more than half a million deaths due to Covid-19. However, a 2022 report by the World Health Organization claimed that more than 4.7 million people in the country may have lost their lives to the pandemic.

India rejected the WHO report calling it “statistically unsound and scientifically questionable”. It objected to the “one size fits all” approach by the UN health agency for a country like India as it did not capture variations in test positivity and severity.

Culled from Hindustan Times