Politicians must set Covid norms example

In the Odisha capital, the political atmosphere has been charged after the state government sealed the office of Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi for violating Covid-19 norms last week. Sarangi, BJP’s Lok Sabha member and a former bureaucrat, found herself embroiled in controversy after videos of her birthday celebration with supporters sans social distancing and masks went viral. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation swung into action and her office was shut down for 15 days.

The 51-year-old parliamentarian, however, was in no mood to relent and targeted the BJD government for being vindictive and overlooking violations by its own ministers. She has shot off a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seeking action against his partymen. This is not Sarangi’s first brush with Covid norms. She was fined in June for a similar violation. 

But the ruling dispensation has not been any different. The funeral of senior BJD leader Pradeep Maharathy on October 4 saw a large congregation while one BJD MLA, who had tested positive, was seen attending the rituals. After Sarangi pointed this out, the MLA—as an afterthought—apologised a good five days later for his ‘emotional’ act. He has also been served a police notice for flouting the rules.

Truth be told, instances of social distancing and mask norms being ignored by political leaders are dime a dozen and no party can claim to be fully compliant in the matter across the country. Winter is coming and so is the flu season. It is only Covid-appropriate behaviour that can spare India’s health infrastructure further stress. A survey shows that universal mask use can save more than 1.3 lakh lives up to February in the country.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Jan Andolan for winning the battle against Covid-19 last week, his primary focus was on the movement being public-driven and that it draw inspiration from the frontline warriors who have made the most sacrifices. As India opens up further and the daily infection tally shows a gradual decline, it is imperative that our political representatives lead by example and give the movement the momentum it requires. And it must happen across party lines.