Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday attacked the BJP on the issue of Covishield vaccine side effects and said that people who got the injection will vote against the party.

Addressing a rally here in support of Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Aditya Yadav, he also repeated the allegation that the BJP collected "donations" from the companies that manufactured the vaccine. "Not only is there a threat to the Constitution, but you also have a threat to life due to their decision," Akhilesh Yadav said.

"Think what those who have got the vaccine administered will be going through when they see their certificate. Now these people will also come out to vote against the BJP this time because it was looking for an opportunity in a disaster," the SP chief alleged.

Recently, UK-headquartered pharma giant AstraZeneca has admitted that in "very rare cases", its COVID-19 vaccine, which is known as Vaxzevria in Europe and Covishield in India, can cause a blood clot-related side effect but the causal link is unknown, according to court papers being quoted in the UK media. In India, the AstraZeneca vaccine was manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.

"Those who are watching the elections would know that the people of BJP are against the Constitution and they are after your lives. Firstly, they want to change the Constitution and secondly, the issue of Covid vaccine must have come before you," Akhilesh Yadav told the gathering.

Appealing to people to vote for Aditya Yadav, the son of senior SP leader Shivpal Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav said people have now made up their minds to ensure his victory with a record margin.

Voting in Budaun will be held in the third phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 7.

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