The ruling coalition of the JMM-Congress-RJD in Jharkhand has used the Covid vaccine side-effects as a weapon to target the BJP-led Centre.

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday evening, while addressing a function to distribute beneficiaries of women's financial assistance scheme of the state government at Ranchi, blamed Covid vaccine side-effects as a possible cause of the deaths of aspirants during the physical endurance test of the constable recruitment drive for the state excise department.

“There are reports of people dying due to the effects of the vaccine administered by the BJP government during the Covid pandemic. BJP got this type of vaccine administered to collect money and donations,” alleged Hemant.

“Some incidents of death of aspirants during the constable recruitment drive have come to my notice. Many young men taking part in the recruitment drive died suddenly while running. In some parts of the country, people have died even while walking. It has come to light that vaccines against Covid administered by the BJP-led Centre to the people are having side-effects. The vaccine was banned all over the world but the same vaccine was supplied to India,” Hemant further alleged.

The physical endurance test for the constable recruitment drive was temporarily stopped from Tuesday after there were reports of deaths of 12 aspirants from different parts of the state in the last week. The chief minister has directed a "thorough probe" into the cause of the death and has also ordered temporary stoppage of the recruitment process amidst Opposition BJP blaming the "hastiness" and "poor management" by the state government as reasons for the deaths.

After AstraZeneca in May announced a global withdrawal of its Covid vaccine, known as Covishield in India, doctors had voiced apprehension over the safety of Covid vaccines.

The doctors associated with the Awaken India Movement (AIM) in May expressed the urgent need for a thorough review of the scientific data behind all Covid-19 vaccines.

Hemant also attempted to corner Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who is the BJP Jharkhand election co-in-charge on the Bangladeshi ghuspetiye.

“We have a leader from Assam who arrives frequently to Jharkhand to sow the seeds of communal disharmony in the name of Hindu-Muslim, tribal-Christians. He seems to have a doctorate in spreading communal canards. He blames us for the Bangladeshi infiltration but himself admits on record that infiltrators from Bangladesh enter through Assam and go to other states. If that is the case then why can’t he stop infiltration in his home state,” said Hemant.