Bengaluru, July 5 (IANS) Rejecting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s claim linking the rapid rollout of Covid vaccinations to heart attack cases, BJP leader D. V. Sadananda Gowda on Saturday said that the Congress leader was among the first to get vaccinated and is perfectly healthy.

Former Chief Minister Gowda taunted Siddaramaiah, saying, “It is because of the good health he gained from the Covid vaccine that Siddaramaiah is now claiming he will complete the full five-year term as Chief Minister and even lead the Congress to victory in the next election.”

“As soon as the vaccination drive began, Siddaramaiah ran to the centre and got himself vaccinated. Nothing has happened to his body. We sincerely wish that nothing ever does,” Gowda stated.

However, CM Siddaramaiah must exercise restraint, Gowda said.

When asked about Minister Priyank Kharge’s remark on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Gowda asserted that imposing a ban on the RSS is simply impossible.

Siddaramaiah, reacting to the recent spike in sudden deaths due to heart attacks in Hassan district, stated on July 1 that the hasty approval and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to the public could also be a possible reason for these deaths.

CM Siddaramaiah stated, “In the past month alone, in just one district of Hassan, more than 20 people have died due to heart attacks. The government is taking this matter very seriously.”

“It cannot be denied that the hasty approval and distribution of the Covid vaccine to the public could also be a reason for these deaths, as several studies worldwide have recently indicated that COVID vaccines could be a cause for the increasing number of heart attacks,” CM Siddaramaiah had stated.

Responding to this, Kiran Majumdar Shaw stated that, “COVID-19 vaccines developed in India were approved under the Emergency Use Authorisation framework, following rigorous protocols aligned with global standards for safety and efficacy. To suggest that these vaccines were ‘hastily’ approved is factually incorrect and contributes to public misinformation.”

On Shaw’s assertion, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah remarked that seeking clarity does not amount to spreading misinformation.

–IANS

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