In a surprising development, Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla flew to the UK just before it decided to ban travellers from India. Adar Poonawalla said that he is planning to stay in the UK for a long time because of the constant threats he’s getting from chief ministers and other corporate leaders in India.
“Threats is an understatement. The level of expectation and aggression is really unprecedented. It’s overwhelming. Everyone feels they should get the vaccine. They can’t understand why anyone else should get it before them," Poonawalla told the Times, London.
It is interesting to note that Adar Poonawalla was recently given Y-level security bu the Indian government. In an interview with the Times, the SII chief said that the calls begin cordially but the caller starts threatening him when he told them that it wouldn’t be possible for him to jump the queue.
“They are saying if you don’t give us the vaccine it’s not going to be good….It’s not foul language. It’s the tone. It’s the implication of what they might do if I don’t comply. It’s taking control. It’s coming over and basically surrounding the place and not letting us do anything unless we give in to their demands,” said Adar Poonawalla.
Poonawalla said that he planned to stay on in Britain for some time, “because I don’t want to go back to that situation.” He added: “Everything falls on my shoulders but I can’t do it alone…I don’t want to be in a situation where you are just trying to do your job, and just because you can’t supply the needs of X, Y or Z you really don’t want to guess what they are going to do.”
In March, it was reported by several British newspapers that Poonawalla was paying USD 69,000 a week to rent a sprawling 25,000sq ft house in London. Adar's wife and children are already in the UK.
Adar Poonawalla preferred to remain silent on the Kumbh Mela and election rallies and added that, “I don’t think even God could have forecast it was going to get this bad.” He says: “We are really gasping for all the help we can get.”
Source: dnaindia.com
BDST: 1255 HRS, May 2, 2021
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