New Delhi, May 10 (IANS): Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday accused the Centre of seeking to "buid its image" on the international stage with vaccine exports, instead of saving those dying in the country due to Covid.

Claiming that since March, India has exported around 6.5 crore Indian-made vaccines to 93 nations, Sisodia, who is also nodal minister for Covid management in the national capital, said: "While the people of the country were dying, struggling for beds, oxygen and medicines across the country, especially during the second wave of Covid pandemic with more than one lakh people having died since March this year, the BJP-led Centre was busy in image development and exporting Indian-made vaccines to foreign countries."

"Was it (export of vaccines) done just to improve the image of the Central government and earn accolades from some other countries? I request the Central government to vaccinate everyone in the country before exporting vaccines," the senior AAP leader said at a press conference here.

The mister stated that it is good to worry about the international community during the pandemic, but the countries like the US, Canada and in Europe are starting to arrange vaccines for their people first. Only France exported 1 lakh vaccines last month.

"The Centre has donated 6.6 crore since March. On April 22, when India had the world's highest number of 3.32 lakh cases, the Central government had also exported two lakh vaccines to Paraguay," Sisodia claimed.