News India Why were Pfizer Covid vaccines stopped entering India, KCR asks Centre; filmmaker's dig at BRS chief- WATCH

Why were Pfizer Covid vaccines stopped entering India, KCR asks Centre; filmmaker's dig at BRS chief- WATCH

BRS chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao reignited politics around Covid vaccine by questioning the Centre over not allowing Pfizer's Covid vaccine in India.

KCR targets Centre over Covid vaccine trade Image Source : GRAB FROM VIDEO/TWITTERKCR targets Centre over Covid vaccine trade

BRS chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's video on Wednesday surfaced in which he is seen questioning Centre over not allowing Pfizer's Covid vaccine in India. 

"There is a company namely Pfizer, which manufactures vaccines, was stopped from entering India during Covid-19. No matter how hard the company tried but they (Centre) didn't allow them to come here. What was the reason?" He was heard asking in the video that said to be shot at a public event on February 5.

He claimed while 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 (Centre) didn't allow them (Pfizer) to come India, he added. 

Filmmaker takes a dig at KCR

'The Kashmir Files' fame director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri took a dig at KCR on the issue. He tweeted the video clip with caption, "Brand Ambassador of Pfizer, CM KCR is asking some important questions. Must be answered. #TheVaccineWar. Independence Weekend 2023."

Biggest challenge during pandemic was negotiating politics: Pfizer

On January 19, Pfizer's chief executive said the biggest challenge the company and other vaccine-makers faced during the pandemic was negotiating the politics.

Albert Bourla, who was speaking on a panel on pandemic preparedness at the World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland, said mask-wearing, vaccine efficacy or questions about delivering the vaccines were all politicised and were constant obstacles for vaccine-makers.

He says “the biggest challenge...was the political challenge”.

He added that protectionism as a result of fear meant the governments closed down borders, making it difficult to export vaccines or bring in raw materials needed to make them.

(With agency input)

Also Read: Moderna sues Pfizer, BioNTech for 'copying technology' in making Covid vaccine

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