Jaishankar lands subtle dig as Viv Richards thanks India for vaccine; Who is the target?

After West Indies cricketing legend Sir Vivian Richards on Sunday expressed his gratitude to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for offering vaccine support to Caribbean nations as the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar took to Twitter to share Richards' 'Thank You' message, and said, "For those who love Old Cricket and New India."

To take a subtle dig at the opposition (or perhaps neighbours Pakistan), he added, "Perhaps even for those who understand neither cricket nor India."

'Will help us forge strong bonds in the future': High Commissioner of India to Guyana Dr. KJ Srinivasa

High Commissioner of India to Guyana Dr. KJ Srinivasa also hailed Prime Minister Modi and said, "India’s reputation as the first responder to the crisis across the world - with its first-class healthcare capacities and as “pharmacy of the world“ has been reinforced with this donation of vaccines. Our relationship with the CARICOM countries has been further strengthened and the gratitude expressed by the various Heads of State and governments in the region has shown their tremendous gratitude towards India especially to Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji which will help us forge strong bonds in the future."

On March 1, India had shipped half a million COVID-19 vaccines destined for over 4 Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) countries and Suriname. Sharing the development on Twitter, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the move came as part of India's commitment to the Caribbean Community. Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda had thanked PM Modi for providing over 500 thousand Made in India Covishield vaccines to the country and praised India for 'generously and selflessly' assisting the Caribbean in their fight against COVID-19. 

India's Vaccine Maitri programme aims to help poor countries amid the global pandemic. In this brief period, the country has delivered around 45.6 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech's indigenous vaccine, of which 38.47 million doses were commercial supplies and 7.12 million doses were granted to around 45 countries.