Tejashwi & Tej Pratap take COVID vaccine days after saying they'll wait till others get

In stark contradiction to their previous stance, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav and brother Tej Pratap Yadav have got themselves vaccinated against COVID-19 on Wednesday. The elder among the duo, Tej Pratap took to Twitter to inform about his vaccination as he posted photos of himself getting vaccinated and urged everyone to get themselves vaccinated. 

"Got COVID-19 vaccine at Patna's Medanta Hospital along with my brother Tejashwi Yadav. You all must also get vaccinated," Tej Pratap Yadav tweeted.

U-Turn of Yadav Brothers?

It comes as a surprise that the Yadav brothers took the COVID-19 vaccine because it was only four days back that Tejashwi Yadav said he would get himself vaccinated only after a majority of the population is vaccinated.

“There is already a shortage of vaccines in Bihar. I will request the government to provide vaccines to all and only after that, I will get vaccinated,” Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of Opposition in Bihar, had said last week.

He was also asked how he will participate in the Monsoon session of the assembly without being vaccinated, to which he had replied that he will take it when it will be needed. However, it is pertinent to note that taking vaccination at the earliest is the need of the hour to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. This called for outrage from the BJP leaders who lashed out at Tejashwi Yadav for "spreading vaccine hesitancy". BJP and JD(U) asserted that the RJD leader was setting a bad example by not taking the vaccine.

"At least in this pandemic, he should avoid politics and think of people first. I will pray to God to give him the sense to get vaccinated and help others from not getting infected," JD(U) state spokesperson Anjum Ara said.

Whereas, Tej Pratap in January this year attempted to fuel vaccine hesitancy by questioning the efficacy of indigenous Covaxin developed and produced by Bharat Biotech. He had then demanded that PM Narendra Modi should take the Covaxin dose to clear the vaccine hesitancy.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take first shot of COVID-19 vaccine, then, we will also take it,” Tej Pratap Yadav had said, reported by ANI. His statement had come after Congress leaders Manish Tewari, Shashi Tharoor and Jairam Ramesh raised concerns regarding Covaxin's safety and efficacy.

Moreover, the pair are said to have taken the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine, according to reports, which, in the realm of decisions made by political persons, is likely to send a message of some sort, though it is unclear what.