Thanks to a nimble-footed Nitin Gadkari, one of the senior-most colleagues of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the nation now has it on authority that some within the government itself, like countless other citizens, are “unaware” what is happening on the Covid front.
Union road transport minister Gadkari had on Tuesday advocated that more companies be allowed to manufacture Covishield and Covaxin. The suggestion echoed what former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had proposed last month in a letter to Modi that received an acid-dripping reply from health minister Harsh Vardhan.
Between Tuesday and Wednesday, powers higher than the letter-drafting skills of Vardhan appeared to have come into play, spurred, no doubt, by an Opposition question whether Gadkari’s “boss” is listening.
Overnight, Gadkari clarified that he had been “unaware” that the government had already “started these efforts”.
BJP insiders said Gadkari had been “pressured” into issuing the clarification after the Opposition used his suggestion to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A senior minister like Gadkari being “unaware” of the steps taken to battle a national emergency would provide a measure of how deeply centralised decision-making in the Modi government is.
Narendra Modi File picture
What the episode implies is that the decisions being taken at the top are not being discussed in the cabinet, although the constitutional scheme mandates cabinet approval for key measures.
Gadkari’s suggestion on Tuesday for a vaccine ramp-up had been directed at junior chemical and fertilisers minister Mansukh Mandaviya at a virtual event organised by RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch.
“Instead of one, let 10 more companies be given the licence for vaccine manufacturing.... There are 2-3 laboratories in every state that have the capacity. They should be given the (vaccine) formula and they can give royalty,” Gadkari had said.
On Wednesday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh cited Gadkari’s remarks to take a dig at Modi.
“But is his (Gadkari’s) Boss (Modi) listening?” Jairam tweeted, attaching a video of the minister’s comments. “This is what Dr Manmohan Singh had suggested on April 18.”
Within a few hours, Gadkari had posted three tweets, virtually apologising for his earlier comment.
“Yesterday while participating at the conference... I made a suggestion to ramp up vaccine production. I was unaware that before my speech Minister for Chemical & Fertilizers... had explained government's efforts to ramp up,” Gadkari wrote.
“I was unaware that his ministry has started these efforts before I had given suggestion yesterday.”
On Tuesday, Gadkari had addressed his suggestion specifically to Mandaviya, who had nodded in apparent agreement without clarifying that his ministry was already on the job.
Manmohan had in a letter to Modi on April 18 suggested the “government must proactively support vaccine producers to expand their manufacturing facilities quickly by providing funds and other concessions”.
The chief ministers of Delhi and Maharashtra too had written to Modi suggesting the formulas for Covishield and Covaxin be shared with capable pharmaceutical companies to scale up production.
Gadkari has in the past been known to take oblique swipes at his party and government’s top leadership.
Opposition members have several times lauded Gadkari in Parliament as the “best-performing” minister, which would not have gone down well with the leadership, either.