Recently, British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca admitted in court documents that its vaccine against COVID-19 has the potential to cause TTS, a rare side effect linked to blood clots. The news has sent panic across the world, including among people in India, where the vaccine was administered under the brand name Covishield to reduce serious Covid-19 complications. Amid the row involving AstraZeneca, it is being claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that after the news of TTS caused by Covishield vaccine, PM Modi’s photo has been removed from the vaccination certificate.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, individuals receiving Covid vaccine doses were provided with vaccination certificates. These certificates prominently featured a photo of PM Modi alongside the message “Together, let’s defeat Corona.”
Aam Aadmi Party leader Gopal Italia wrote, “As soon as the news of heart attack due to vaccine spread across the country, Modi’s photo was immediately removed. How many Manishanker Iyer’s are these people?” Italia also shared the picture of the vaccination certificate, which does not have the picture of PM Modi.
जैसे ही वेक्सिन से हार्टऐटेक आने की खबर देशभर में फेल गई, तुरंत ही मोदी का फ़ोटो हटा दिया।
— Gopal Italia (@Gopal_Italia) May 1, 2024
कितने मणिशंकर अय्यर है ये लोग। pic.twitter.com/XZxZfuMuvX
Indian National Congress member Amarjeet Singh wrote, “The country has become aware in 2024! Now why is PM Modi’s photo missing from the corona vaccine certificate? Whereas it was said that having a photo of PM Modi along with his message on the Corona Vaccine Certificate helps in creating awareness among the people.”
2024 में देश जागरुक हो चुका है! अब कोरोना वैक्सीन के सर्टिफिकेट पर PM मोदी की फोटो गायब क्यों?
— Amarjeet Singh (@AmarjeetsINC) May 1, 2024
जबकि कहा जाता था कि कोरोना वैक्सीन सर्टिफिकेट (Vaccine Certificate) पर पीएम मोदी के मैसेज के साथ फोटो लगी होने से लोगों में जागरूकता पैदा करने में मदद मिलती है।#CoronaVaccine pic.twitter.com/vwSYu2OOSG
X user Varun Chaudhary asserted, “When he had to take credit, Modi got his photo printed. He got the credit by making a vaccine war movie. When the public came to know about this fraud, Modi got his photo removed. Why are you running away at the cost of our lives, Modiji? This is a fraud… a clear fraud. You were right when you said that you will pick up the chola and leave. You picked up your bag and left, putting the lives of 80 crore people in danger. At least if they had got Nadda ji’s photo printed, then there would have been some satisfaction!”
जब क्रेडिट लेनी थी तब मोदी ने अपनी फोटो छपवा दी। वैक्सीन वॉर मूवी बनवा कर क्रेडिट लिए।
— Varun Chaudhary (@imvarun2023) May 2, 2024
जब इस फ्रॉड के बारे में जनता को पता चल गया तो मोदी ने अपनी फोटो हटवा ली। हमारी जान की कीमत लगाकर क्यों भाग रहे हो मोदी जी?
यह धोखा है… साफ साफ़ धोखा है। आपने सही ही कहा था कि छोला उठाकर… pic.twitter.com/AKJBYsGN3O
Journalist Prashant Tandon wrote, “Why did Modi ji remove his photo from the Covid vaccine certificate?”
कोविड वैक्सीन सर्टिफिकेट से अपनी फोटो क्यों हटा ली मोदी जी? https://t.co/qA0vXjU0Rk
— Prashant Tandon (@PrashantTandy) May 2, 2024
Fact Check
In our fact checking research, we used the keyword search “PM Modi’s photo removed from vaccination certificate” on Google. In a 2021 report by the Economic Times, we found that during the assembly elections in the states of West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, the Election Commission (EC) had asked the Health Ministry to remove the PM’s photo from vaccination certificates. The order came after Trinamool Congress (TMC) termed the PM’s photo on vaccination as a ‘misuse of official machinery’.
This decision of the EC was based on guidelines stating images and names of the PM or CM should not be displayed on hoardings, wall paintings or any other publicity material of governments to ensure a level playing field for all political parties for fair and free elections.
Similarly, since the Lok Sabha elections are going on, following the Model Code of Conduct, which prohibits displaying photographs of PMs and CMs from publicity materials of governments, PM Modi’s photo has been removed from vaccination certificates. According to a Live Hindustan report, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told The Print that PM Modi’s photo has been removed from the vaccine certificate due to the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct issued for the current Lok Sabha elections.
The report further said that this is not the first time that PM Modi’s photo has been removed from the Covid vaccination certificate. The PM’s photographs were also removed during the assembly elections in 2022 in poll bound states Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Punjab and Goa.
Conclusion: The claim that PM Modi’s photo was removed from the vaccination certificate due to the controversy over AstraZeneca is misleading. The decision to remove PM’s photo from the vaccination certificate was taken after the implementation of Model code of Conduct.
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