Congress accuses Tejasvi Surya, his uncle of taking bribes for vaccines

New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday accused BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and his uncle Ravi Subramanya of making profits by being involved in an alleged vaccine commission scam in Karnataka during the second Covid wave.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera claimed that the Basavanagudi MLA Subramanya has been asking Bengaluru residents to get vaccinated at a particular private hospital and also referred to leaked audio clips, where the supervisor of the hospital purportedly tells a man that the price of Covid vaccine cannot be less than Rs 900 as they have to give Rs 700 to Subramanya per dose from this money.

Addressing a press conference here, Khera said, "Today, some audio recording were leaked in the local media of Karnataka, where Subramanya, third term MLA and real uncle of Surya, who is also the national president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, where in those audio recordings, supervisor of a private hospital clearly tells member of the public that per vaccination he will have to pay Rs 900, not a penny less."

The Congress leader said that the supervisor also tells on telephone that Rs 700 of this Rs 900 have to be given to Subramanya.

"These are startling revelations. It is like getting caught red handed. This is a private hospital. There is a background to this, very revealing background to this, which seals the entire case, makes it an open and shut case.

What is that background? Earlier this week, Surya had advertised his own picture along with this hospital, which there are nursing homes also attached exhorting people to get vaccinated from this hospital, where his hoardings, banners are displayed, where in the price per vaccination, which is Rs 900 is also mentioned," he said.

Khera said that the name of this private hospital was also mentioned, the name and photograph of the BJP MP is also there. Firing salvos at the government, the Congress leader said, "We want to know how vaccines are available at this private hospital when they are not available in government hospitals for common people? Who is responsible for this? How are they (BJP leaders) getting vaccines?"

Khera also demanded that an FIR should be lodged against Surya. "This is cash-for-vaccines. The membership of Surya from the parliament should be ended with immediately.

We owe to the people of Karnataka, the membership from the Karnataka Assembly of Subramanya, should be ended right now, we owe to the people of Karnataka. If you want to save lives of people of Karnataka, this is hardly any sacrifice for you Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is the least you can do," he said.