NCP's Majeed Memon says COVID vaccination certificates should have photo of person, not PM

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Majeed Memon on Monday raised questions over PM Modi's photograph on COVID-19 vaccine certificates saying that the document should instead carry the photograph of the person vaccinated. Taking to Twitter, Majeed Memon opined that a photograph of the vaccinated person instead of PM's would help confirm the identity of the citizen.

The NCP leader's comment comes amid the recent observations made by the Kerala HC regarding a petition which raised a similar objection. On Monday, the HC snubbed objections over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photograph being affixed to COVID vaccine certificates questioning why there should be a problem. 

'Modi is our Prime Minister, don't see a problem': Kerala HC 

While hearing a petition filed by a Right to Information (RTI) activist against PM's photo on COVID vaccine certificates, the bench of Justice PV Kunhikrishnan underlined that Narendra Modi was the Prime Minister of India and that he came to power because of 'people's mandate and not through any shortcuts'. 

The petitioner had alleged that a national campaign against the Coronavirus was being converted into a 'media campaign' for the Prime Minister, outlining how vaccination certificates issued in other countries did not contain the photographs of their respective leaders. He had also contended that the present vaccination certificate 'violates the fundamental rights' of a citizen.

Countering the objections, Justice PV Kunhikrishnan responded, "They are not proud of their PM, we are proud of ours." He concluded by saying," Modi is our Prime Minister. You may have political differences. But, I can't understand what is the problem with Prime Minister's photo on the certificate?" 

On learning that the petitioner works at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Leadership, Justice PV Kunhikrishnan put forth a series of questions to the petitioner asking- "You work at an Institute named after Jawaharlal Nehru, he is also a Prime Minister. Why not ask the university to remove that name also?"

The court also pulled up the activist for 'wasting the court’s time' saying that 100 crore people didn’t seem to have any issue with the photograph on the vaccination certificate. “So why do you? I am just trying to understand,” the judge observed.