AstraZeneca Admits Covishield Side Effects, Congress Questions Serum Institute’s Donation to BJP

The Opposition Congress has criticized the Narendra Modi government following UK pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca’s admission that its COVID vaccine Covishield can cause blood clots and low platelet count. They questioned if this was the reason the BJP accepted Electoral Bonds worth Rs 50 crore from the Serum Institute of India.

Congress leader BS Srinivas took a jab at BJP’s posters thanking PM Modi for providing free vaccine doses to Indians, asking, “Where is the ‘Thank You Modi ji’ banner now?” He also questioned the prime minister’s silence on the issue and wondered if this was the reason behind the recent increase in deaths due to heart attacks among young people.

“In a UK court, the company that produced the COVIDSHIELD vaccine admitted that their vaccine can cause a rare side effect TTS, which leads to blood clots and increases the risk of heart attack and brain hemorrhage. Where is the ‘Thank You Modi ji’ banner now? Why are the PM and Health Ministry silent?” he asked in a social media post on ‘X’.

The Covishield vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, was manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and widely used in the country during the Coronavirus pandemic. It is alleged that the Serum Institute paid Rs 50 crore in Electoral Bonds to the BJP. The Congress leader questioned if this was the reason the vaccine manufacturing company made donations to the BJP.

“Was this the reason why BJP accepted electoral bonds worth Rs 50 crore from Serum Institute?” Srinivas asked. The Congress leader further stated, “This is not a matter of politics but of people’s lives. The Prime Minister, who unabashedly takes credit for the vaccine, will have to answer. Because more than half of India’s population has been administered AstraZeneca’s Covishield.”