Telangana health minister Etela Rajender had in the past announced that he would be the first one to take the Corona vaccine. He had said this many times to instil confidence among the people and to dispel the fears and apprehensions about the efficacy of the vaccine.
However, when the first vaccine was given on Saturday, Etela Rajender, though very much present at the vaccination programme, did not get vaccinated. Instead, a sanitation worker was the first to get vaccinated. So why did not Etela get vaccinated? Why did he not live up to his promise and why did he let sanitation worker Krishnamma to take the first vaccine?
Those close to Etela say that the strict guidelines issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi are responsible for this. During a video conference with the health ministers of various states, Narendra Modi said that the frontline warriors should be given the first chance to get vaccinated as they were in the forefront of the battle against Covid and risked their lives all along. The politicians should get vaccinated only in the subsequent phases, Modi said. It is because of this strict direction that Etela could not take the vaccine.
