BJP MLA slams Serum India over anti-COVID vaccine pricing, calls its CEO Adar Poonawalla ”dacoit”

Lucknow:  Upset over anti-coronavirus vaccine pricing by the Serum Institute of India (SII), a BJP MLA has compared its CEO Adar Poonawalla with a “dacoit” and asked the government to “acquire” the company under the Epidemic Diseases Act.

Gorakhpur MLA Radha Mohan Das Agrawal made the remarks after SII on Wednesday announced a price of Rs 600 per dose for Covishield supplies to private hospitals and Rs 400 per dose to state governments.

“@adarpoonawalla you are worse than a dacoit. @PMOIndia @AmitShah @blsanthosh @drharshvardhan should acquire your factory under the epidemic act,” the MLA, who is also a doctor, said in a tweet in Hindi on Wednesday.

In a series of tweets, Agrawal also referred to the Swaminathan Commission’s formula for agriculture costs and prices.

The world’s largest vaccine maker announced the pricing of AstraZeneca shots it manufactures at its Pune facility, following the government decision to open up inoculation to all citizens above 18 years of age.