Questions raise as Devendra Fadnavis 22-year-old nephew gets Covid-19 vaccine shot

Devendra Fadnavis, the former chief minister of Maharashtra, attracted criticism on Monday after pictures of his 22-year-old nephew, Tanmay Fadnavis, receiving the Covid-19 vaccine surfaced on social media.

Tanmay Fadnavis posted a picture of himself having the shot on Instagram. Tanmay administered the first dose of the vaccine in Mumbai and the second dose at the National Cancer Institute in Nagpur, according to people familiar with the situation.

Following the widespread distribution of the images on social media, several leaders questioned how the 22-year-old got the vaccine, given that only frontline or health care staff and others over the age of 45 are entitled to receive the doses.

On the other side, Fadnavis' office expressed surprise when contacted. “Even we were taken aback when we saw on social media how a 22-year-old boy was vaccinated,” said Ketan Pathak, who works in the media cell at the Bharatiya Janata Party leader's office. Tanmay's grandmother, Shobhatai Fadnavis, a senior BJP leader, commented, "Is getting a vaccine a sin?"

Later that day, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader’s wife also responded by saying “no one is above rules & law”. “Any service should be prioritised based on decorum or prevailing regulation. No one is above the laws or the law. The law will take its course, and we will always fight for justice! We agree with you on this issue; please take steps to prevent potential queue-breaking incidents!” Amruta Fadnavis tweeted with a hashtag #tanmayfadnavis.

Priority for any service should be on basis of decorum or prevalent policy. No one is above rules & law. The law can take its course and we stand for justice always ! We are with you on this issue, pls take action which will stop future queue breaking occurrences!#tanmayfadnavis https://t.co/SgLYOAMGee

— AMRUTA FADNAVIS (@fadnavis_amruta) April 20, 2021

Amruta Fadnavis also tagged Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, who, along with many other politicians, criticized how the former Maharashtra chief minister's nephew Tanmay Fadnavis jumped the queue and received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Under the current process of the national vaccination drive, only frontline and healthcare staff, as well as those over the age of 45, are entitled to receive the vaccines. According to the Centre's announcement on Monday, those over the age of 18 will be immunised beginning 1st May.