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Worries about Pfizer vaccine on Mirror Now, Aaj Tak says Opposition using farmers

A quick take on what prime time TV news talked about.

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New Delhi: Prime time debates Sunday went from the farmers’ agitation, which has entered day 12 to the race for a Covid-19 vaccine and US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer seeking approval by the Indian government for its vaccine.

Mirror Now aired the Pfizer India statement which said that it will start supplying its vaccine based on the contracts with the Indian government after it receives regulatory authorisation. But not everyone was optimistic about it.

“With Pfizer vaccine, we don’t have any local data. Given the safety, cost and logistic concerns, it will be a difficult vaccine to implement in India,” said Anant Bhan, a public health researcher.

According to Dr. Shahid Jameel, director at the Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University, the cost of the vaccine is the foremost concern.

“Question is whether we can afford vaccines like Pfizer or Moderna. As Pfizer earlier said, they will sell their vaccine at $37 (approx. Rs 2,700) a dose, whereas the Serum Institute may price their vaccine at $3 (approx. Rs 220) per dose,” said Jameel.

NewsX discussed the ongoing farmers’ protest and the ‘Bharat Bandh’ by them on 8 December, which has received massive support from opposition parties.

BJP leader Raman Malik said, “The government has come forward and stated that these laws are there and if there is a scope of improvement, let’s sit down and talk about it.”

Congress’ national spokesperson Anshul Avijit noted, “There is an all-India character that is being acquired by these farmers’ protests.”

On Aaj Tak, anchor Chitra Tripathi discussed the protests as well. She wondered if the Opposition was exploiting the farmers.

“The Opposition has announced support for Bharat Bandh,” the anchor said, adding that the “farmers organisations have sent a big message to the government, given an ultimatum”.

“How will the talks lead to a solution if farmers have called for nationwide bandh on 8 December?” she asked, adding,  “It seems like the Opposition is aiming at Modi by perching their ‘guns; on the farmers’ shoulders”

“Congress, Akali Dal, Samajwadi party, NCP, TRS, RJD, TMC, Shiv Sena are among the 11 parties that have expressed solidarity with the farmers,” she said.

Times Now debated the controversy surrounding the proposed renaming of the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology in Kerala to ‘Shri Guruji Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar National Centre for Complex Disease in Cancer and Viral Infection’ after the RSS ideologue.

BJP spokesperson Sudesh Verma noted, “Names should inspire the ideology of a strong country. Golwalkar spoke about a ‘strong rashtra’. He shaped the vision of modern India. Between Nehru and Ambedkar, Golwalkar’s work was far better.”

Dinesh Verma, a Communist Party of India (CPI) leader, countered, “You cannot name the institute after someone who stood with the Britishers. These types of people cannot be declared as heroes. People like him were renegade agents of the British.

“There is no contribution by Golwalkar seen in any field. If BJP wants to name something after him, they can name another institute,” political analyst Chetan Singh argued.

“This is politicisation,” he added.

On News18 India, anchor Amish Devgan discussed the proposed film city in Uttar Pradesh.  “CM Uddhav and CM Yogi are face to face over the film industry,” Devgan declared.

“Maharashtra is scared of losses if another film industry is created. This film city will also be another option for the Bhojpuri film industry. If this plan succeeds then UP will gain economically,” the anchor explained.

“If  the auto or IT industries can be at five different places, then what’s the problem with having another film city?” Devgan wanted to know.

“A film city will be opened, people from Bihar and UP will get employed. It’s not a flower vase that we will lift and place here. Delhi has one AIIMS, that doesn’t mean that there will not be any other AIIMS. This is a regressive thought,” argued BJP’s Sambit Patra.

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