The inclusion of PM Modi's photo on vaccination certificates triggered controversy in 2021.The recent admission by pharma giant AstraZeneca in a UK court regarding Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), a rare but serious side effect associated with its Covid vaccine, prompted many in India to review their vaccination certificates. These certificates, which prominently featured Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image alongside the caption “Together, India will defeat COVID-19,” now have only the quote without any photograph or name.
Social media users took to X (formerly Twitter) were quick to notice and discuss this change. Sandeep Manudhane shared, “Modi ji no more visible on COVID Vaccine certificates. Just downloaded to check – yes, his pic is gone,” while Irfan Ali, a self-identified Congress functionary, corroborated, “Yes, I just checked and PM Modi’s photo has disappeared and there is only QR code instead of his photo.”
Speculations arose on X regarding the motive behind this change, with many attributing it to the recent developments concerning Covishield. Manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) under a licensing agreement with AstraZeneca, Covishield has been under scrutiny due to reported cases of TTS.
However, officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare clarified that the removal of PM Modi’s picture from vaccination certificates was due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) enforced during the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.
This isn’t the first instance of PM Modi’s photo being excluded from vaccination certificates. In 2022, ahead of assembly elections in five states — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, and Goa — the Election Commission of India (ECI) directed the removal of PM Modi’s photo from certificates.
The inclusion of PM Modi’s photo on vaccination certificates triggered controversy in 2021. The debate even reached the Kerala High Court, where Justice PV Kunhikrishnan, responding to arguments that certificates in other countries didn’t feature elected leaders’ photos, said, “They may not be proud of their PMs, we are proud of our PM.”
AstraZeneca recently admitted to a rare side effect associated with its Covid vaccine, known as Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS). This admission, made public for the first time, emerged in court documents amid ongoing legal proceedings where AstraZeneca faces lawsuits alleging that its vaccines have led to fatalities and severe injuries in multiple instances.
Covishield, developed by AstraZeneca in collaboration with Oxford University, was produced by the Serum Institute of India and extensively used in India. By 2022, India had administered over 1.7 billion doses of Covishield in the world’s largest vaccination program.