Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday came under severe fire after it emerged that his 22-year-old nephew Tanmay Fadnavis managed to get a Covid-19 vaccine jab, allegedly violating Centre’s norms.
Youth Congress leader Srivatsa was the first to point it out on Twitter. In a series of critical tweets, he lashed out at Fadnavis and his nephew, who is apparently an actor. “Dear @Dev_Fadnavis, is your nephew Tanmay 45+ years old? If not, how is he eligible for taking the vaccine? Just like Remdesivir, are you hoarding vaccines and giving them to your family members? People are dying. There is vaccine shortage. But Fadnavis family is safe,” tweeted the former Karnataka Congress Social Media Head. Srivatsa added that Tanmay has “committed a crime” and “must be immediately arrested”. He requested Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to arrest him and “set an example”.
Now, Devendra and his wife Amruta Fadnavis have reacted to the controversy. The former Maharashtra Chief Minister admitted that Tanmay is his “distant relative” and claimed that he was not aware of how the 22-year-old managed to get the vaccination dose.
“Tanmay is my distant relative. I have no idea under which criteria he received his dose. If it has been taken as per guidelines, then there should be no objection. But if it violates guidelines, it is completely improper. My wife and daughter have also not received vaccination as they don’t qualify for it. I am of the firm opinion that everybody must follow the rules,” told Devendra.
Meanwhile, Amruta has demanded action against Tanmay. “Priority for any service should be based on decorum or prevalent policy. No one is above rules and law. The law can take its course and we stand for justice always. We are with you on this issue, please take action which will stop future queue breaking occurrences,” she tweeted.