The rivalry between the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech became open knowledge after the heads of both took veiled digs at each other publicly. The PMO immediately intervened, directing the two vaccine manufacturers to issue a joint letter that they were coordinating in the fight against the pandemic. It is unclear who was responsible for influencing the expert committee on vaccine approval to grant immediate clearance to Covaxin on January 2.

Earlier, the minutes of the expert committee meeting reveal that Bharat Biotech was asked to first submit additional research data as the company had not completed its Phase III trials. Within a day, the panel re-convened to okay the vaccine. While Bharat Biotech has the Prime Minister’s blessings, the move to give its vaccine instantaneous clearance seems to have stemmed partly because of Subramanian Swamy’s embarrassing tweet that an Indian product was being accorded step-motherly treatment and ran counter to the RSS’s and Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign.