Soon after the new health minister Mansukh Mandavia assumed charge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday asked whether it will change anything and there will be no vaccine shortage.

"Does this mean no more vaccine shortage," he asked on Twitter, using the hashtag "#Change".

The Congress has been criticising the government's vaccination policy, alleging that it is moving at a slow pace and needs to be accelerated.

The BJP, however, hit back at Gandhi with its spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia alleging that the former Congress chief is "irresponsible" and is criticising for the sake of doing so.

"We would, however, welcome his constructive criticism," Bhatia said.

The Congress has earlier said that the dropping of former Health Minister Harsh Vardhan is an admission of the government's failure in handling of the pandemic.

Earlier Congress leader P Chidambaram said the first task of the new Health Minister Mansukh Mandavia is to remove vaccine shortage as some states are facing acute shortages.

He said vaccinations have been suspended at several centres in Tamil Nadu as vaccines have run out of supply.

"Once again, vaccination has been suspended at several centres in Tamil Nadu because they have run out of vaccines.

"The first task of the new Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will be to ensure adequate and uninterrupted supply of vaccines to all States," Chidambaram tweeted.

"No more games to enter the Guinness Book of Records please. Just focus on the supply of vaccines to all the States," he also said.

Mandaviya, a BJP leader from Gujarat's Saurashtra region, replaces Dr Harsh Vardhan, who was dropped from the Council of Ministers on Wednesday.

His portfolio assumes utmost significance as the country is in battling a coronavirus pandemic.