Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has been facing criticism from Monday evening after social media users shared screenshots of a Tanmay Fadnavis taking the COVID-19 vaccine.
The screenshots were from Tanmay Fadnavis's Instagram account and showed him taking his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Media reports referred to Tanmay as being Devendra Fadnavis's 22-year-old "nephew". Times Now stated, "He reportedly received both the dose of the vaccine—one in Mumbai and the other one at the National Cancer Institute in Nagpur." According to the current vaccination rules, only persons of age 45 and above are eligible to take COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccination for people aged 18 and above will start from May 1, the government informed on Monday.
On Monday night, Devendra Fadnavis issued a clarification on the controversy, seeking to distance himself from the matter. Devendra Fadnavis was quoted by The Indian Express as saying, "Tanmay Fadnavis is my distant relative. I have no idea under which criteria he received his dose. If it has been taken as per guidelines, then there should be no objection. But if it is in violation of guidelines, it is completely improper."
Devendra Fadnavis declared he respected the existing rules governing vaccination. Devendra was quoted by The Indian Express as saying, "My wife and daughter have also not received vaccination because they don’t qualify for it. I am of the firm opinion that everybody must follow the rules.”
Shailesh Joglekar, director of the NCI, told The Indian Express, “Tanmay Fadnavis took his second dose at NCI. He had his first at Seven Hills hospital in Mumbai. Under which provision he got his first dose is not known to us. He showed us the certificate and we gave him the second dose at our centre.”
Not surprisingly, opposition parties hit out at Devendra Fadnavis. B. Srivatsa, a leader of the Youth Congress, was among the first to share images of Tanmay on Twitter. Srivatsa tweeted, "Dear @Dev_Fadnavis, is your Nephew Tanmay Fadnavis 45+ years old? If not, how is he eligible for taking the Vaccine? Just like Remdesivir, are you hoarding Vaccines & giving it to your family members? People are dying. There is Vaccine Shortage. But Fadnavis family is Safe."
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Interestingly, Shobhatai Fadnavis, a BJP leader, who is Tanmay Fadnavis's grandmother, defended him. Shobhatai, who is an aunt of Devendra Fadnavis, was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying, "Is it a sin to get a vaccine?”
Devendra Fadnavis had been in the middle of a row since last weekend when the state government alleged he was attempting to hoard supplies of Remdesivir, used to treat COVID-19, even as Maharashtra has been battling a shortage of the medicine.