By: Dr. Ratan Bhattacharjee
Every day in India is a new scary day as hospitals run out of beds, patients gasp for breath, their families struggle for oxygen cylinders and crematoria see a rush of bodies like never before. It is true that with a surprising speed, the pandemic has swept across borders, claiming victims and shutting down economies in nations across the globe. But India that projected a bright picture even yesterday, now suddenly India is lapsing into an Inferno as Dante envisaged in Divine Comedy. Let us analyze how different countries have responded to the outbreak. Americans, during the tenure of President Donald Trump, cut a sorry figure and blamed China to such an extent that they were asked to call it ‘Chinese virus’ in the style ‘Spanish Flu’. America gradually became the epicenter of Covid-19. Never the world saw such a pitiable condition of America where its President had to indirectly threaten India for supplying hydroxychloroquine. But after the coming of President Biden to the White House, the situation has had a dramatic change. The USA is all set to even unmask after it successfully completes its second dose of covid vaccine shortly.
Now on the contrary, India’s Prime Minister was seen boasting of breaking records and setting examples in tackling Covid -19 first phase. What he forgot to take from his own speeches is the fact that more caution was required to check the virus in place. The second wave proved that the Indian Prime Minister had thought very poorly of the virus who lost no time to wreak havoc across the nation. Today, India is a covid nightmare for many European nations who are gradually coming over the virus through vaccination. Many even believe that China, where the pandemic is believed to have originated, has done a fairer job.
The leading international organization for dealing with global health issues, the World Health Organization (WHO) was at loggerheads with America when Trump curtailed the aid rather inhumanly at the time of a global crisis making it the first time America failed to lead the world in a global crisis. As nations around the world grapple with how to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, most Americans think the US can learn from other countries about how to limit the spread of the coronavirus. People feel China’s handling of the virus is deplorable and China has not handled the pandemic well. Americans who believe the US can learn a great deal or a fair amount from other countries about ways to slow the spread of coronavirus are especially likely to say other countries are handling the outbreak well. Earlier they praised India for tackling the situation well, which might not be the case today.
People abroad have finally realized how the Modi government has concealed facts and distorted facts in many cases. The Indian Prime Minister was seen as more serious in strategizing for assembly elections in the four states rather than planning to contain the second wave of Covid. The government was least bothered with the spread of the virus as huge election rallies and meetings were being organised almost every day. On the other hand, massive religious gatherings in the name of Maha Kumbh went on unabated at the behest of the respective state and union governments. While all this only strengthened the virus, the world looked on as India fell into a hell hole of death. Now, the procession of death has taken over the country. The Guardian UK, Washington Post, etc have vehemently criticized the Modi government for making India a hell of Covid infection.
The already critical vaccine is in acute shortage in the country and the number of deaths refusing to come down. The virus has now even started fatally infecting the young, strong and even children. Black marketing of critical medicines such as Ramdesevir is on a rise with some even charging INR1.2 lakh a dose. Family members are seen queuing up helplessly outside hospitals seeking admission of their near and loved ones. What is scarier is the fact that suddenly India is seeing a trend where the deaths are occurring post covid infection. Many patients, off late, have died after recovering from covid and developing a post covid form of fungus in the lungs. With over 2 lakh deaths till date, the government in India is acting as a helpless onlooker.
Modi and his team have been bragging about how it tackled the first wave since the last eight months, had they then formulated a strategy for the future, India could have easily avoided the current situation. No doubt, the general public is equally responsible for the same, but aren’t the leaders supposed to lead the people. And when these very leaders lead the people to rallies and gatherings exposing them to the virus, shouldn’t they be labelled murderers. Moreover, they have been trying their best in covering up actual data and presenting a false picture of the situation just to keep the people calm. This is a crime against mankind for which history will not forgive him and Indians will never trust him again. Every passing second is only proof that their protector and so-called self-styled messiah Modiji has failed them miserably in stopping the second wave of Corona in India. The Modi Government ignored experts’ advice and refused to strengthen the supply chains for oxygen, medicine, and ventilators. Instead, it consciously chose to allocate thousands of crores for non-essential projects that have nothing to do with the people’s well-being including the ‘Central Vista’ project.
What is worse, the Modi government’s inequitable vaccination policy will exclude millions of Dalits, Adivasis, other backward classes, as well as, the poor and the marginalized. Modi who is behaving like a monomaniac dictator should realize that fighting against coronavirus is never a “Government versus some people” battle but “everyone versus Corona” battle. This battle must transcend political and regional differences. However, the Modi and team is more concerned with harassing opposition with CBI or saffronisation of Indian culture rather than with vaccination of the Indians. The need of the hour is the transferring of medical technology to diverse firms for manufacturing larger doses of vaccine, setting up of new oxygen-producing plants and making non-operational plants operational at war-footing. Political vindictiveness at this time will only spoil the environment of amity and harmony and the chances for a united fight against the pandemic in the second more dangerous wave.
The Modi government will have to reverse the ill-considered decision. It is surprising that despite the harsh lessons of last year and the pain inflicted on our citizens, the government continues to follow an arbitrary and discriminatory policy, which promises to exacerbate existing challenges as the opposition leaders are highlighting it in their letters and complaints. Through systematic and regular vaccination and swab tests of all its citizens, America has come out with flying colours in their battle against Covid. But India under Modi is in deep trouble with his concocted lies, hypocrisy, and false gimmicks. All clouds do not promise rain but sure can fool some people for a certain time. Dear Modi, please come to your senses, and understand your real priority at the moment. (The author is an academician and trilingual columnist cum poet)