Leveraging
death to win votes – lack of a strong Opposition weakens India’s fight against
the pandemic
Aditi Kumaria
Hingu
India
is in the midst of the second Covid19 wave and as is well known by now, the
wave has hit harder than anyone expected. Every day brings news of family and
friends infected – most recover, but sadly some do not. The media is full of
stark images of crowded hospitals, shortage of medicines, oxygen, and beds etc.
The doomsday scenario is further amplified by all the verified and unverified
(read fake) content that is being circulated on social media. The same is
causing further damage as it is causing a fear psychosis, leading to black
marketing, hoarding and illegal profiteering of medical essentials.
The
Central Government has come in for a fair share of criticism for having let its
guard down too soon. Media has been quick to pick up images of crowded election
rallies and the ‘by-now-vilified’ Kumbh Mela and label them as super spreader
events. The Opposition Parties have all come together to use this public health
catastrophe to further tarnish the Government and score political brownie
points with a scared and gullible public.
Let
us examine facts rationally – The Khumb mela (an outdoor event spread over many
weeks) was open only to pilgrims with a confirmed Covid negative test. However,
when the upsurge in cases started, the Prime Minister appealed to the religious
leaders to do a symbolic snan (holy bath) and end the Kumbh a fortnight earlier
than usual. The religious leaders compiled with the request and the mela came
to a premature end.
Contrast
this with the much-hyped and much-supported (by all Opposition leaders)
‘middlemen rally’ in the winter of 2020. These middlemen (under the guise of
being farmers) sieged the national capital, created law and order disturbances
because the New Farm Bills were ending their monopolistic hold over
agricultural produce trading. 11 rounds of talks have taken place between the
‘farmers’ unions and Central Government since Oct 2020, but despite the Central
Government’s willingness to lend an open ear and mind, the so-called farmers have
been intransigent. It is estimated that at any point in time there were about
half a lakh protestor at these sites – living in close quarters. Given that the
protestors were coming in tranches, it is estimated that over the 3 months
period, more than 2 lac people had been part of these protests. Was this
congregation not a super spreader event? Since this ‘middlemen’ rally was a
politically motivated event to cause embarrassment to the Government, it got
active support from the Opposition. Not one Opposition leader requested the
protestors to avoid congregating and instead have a symbolic protest, considering
the pandemic.
The
vaccine hesitancy is another case when the Opposition has thoroughly let down
the nation.
On January 3, 2021, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) had approved two COVID-9 vaccine candidates, Covaxin and Covishield, for conditional use in the government’s
immunisation programme. But soon after, a leading Samajwadi Party leader
in Uttar Pradesh said that he will not take the “BJP vaccine” – thus sowing
seeds of distrust against the vaccine. Opposition leaders viciously attacked
the government for approving the Bharat Biotech developed Covaxin for emergency
use, thus further creating doubts in the people’s minds. Congress ruled
Chhattisgarh refused Centre’s help of Covaxin citing that it did not want this
vaccine. In fact, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Kerala (all Opposition ruled)
refused Covaxin stocks even after Bharat Biotech released interim data showing
81% vaccine efficacy in phase 3 trials.
LDF
ruled Kerala received 37, 760 doses of Covaxin in January. The same had not
been used till March. Is this not a crime against humanity? When leading Congress
politicians questioned the efficacy of Covaxin, they were donning the mantle of
becoming ‘super spreaders’ of rumours, mis-information and vaccine hesitancy.
The Opposition
had not even spared the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine. The Government was
criticised for approving it too soon. The same Opposition is now criticising
the same Government for not having approved foreign manufactured vaccines
earlier…. the Government is wrong if it does, the Government is wrong if it
does not.
Furthermore,
Health continues to remain a State Subject. While the Central Government did
impose a national lockdown last year (for which it was again criticised by the
Opposition and their supporters), the onus of containing the spread is now more
on the states. Decisions on state/city/micro lockdowns, beefing up health
infrastructure, setting up oxygen plants are to be taken and executed by
States.
As
per reports, the Centre had invited tenders for setting up Pressure Swing
Adsorption (PSA) Oxygen Plants in public health facilities in October 2020. It
sanctioned Rs.200 Cr funding for 162 PSA Oxygen Plants, but as of 18th
April 2021, only 33 have been set up by States. Many hospitals opposed the
plants as that would have stopped their local purchase of oxygen cylinders from
obliging vendors. Who is to blame here? The Centre that allocated funding or
the State that did not use (or worse misused) the funding? In fact, Delhi was
allotted funds for 8 plants, but set up only one PSA Oxygen Plant. The Delhi
Chief Minister did not deem it critical enough to ensure that all 8 plants were
set up but thought it was important to telecast his appeal to the PM for
Oxygen. Likewise, Maharashtra was allotted funds for 10 plants, but set up only
1.
India
has a federal structure of governance, in which the Chief Ministers have immense
authority, responsibility and significant resources to manage the affairs of
their State. Blaming the Prime Minister for lack of oxygen in hospitals is easy
– all it needs is a few willing journalists, a few evocative pictures and
willing social media activists. Getting your own house in order is tough
because that involves hard work, integrity, and a genuine concern for the
citizens.
A
strong opposition is integral to any democracy. It works as a foil to the
government and brings in checks and balances. A strong opposition has an
ideology that it is committed to. But in India, the Opposition has only one
ideology – destabilize the Government so that we get the chance to make money
through illegal means and abuse power for our own good. It is the curse on
India that we do not even have one genuine leader among the Opposition cadres.
A
nation comes together as one in a time of crisis. Mutual ill-will and feuds are
forgotten as people join hands to fight a common enemy. It is the tragedy of
India that even now, the focus of the Opposition is to project the country and
the Government in a poor light. The attempt is not about fighting the pandemic
or saving lives. The concerted attempt is to create anarchy, chaos and ill-will
to bring down a democratically elected government.
Elections
happen. People vote. Leaders debate and campaign. New leaders get elected. There
is a right time for everything. But this is not the time for any of these. This
is a time to get down to the brass tacks, introspect, fix the system where it
is broken (and no, the PM cannot do this alone!). This is the time to save
lives, heal the ill, provide dignity and livelihood to the affected.
Oppositional politics can wait. But who cares about people dying? Families
destroyed? Livelihoods snatched? If this pandemic can be used to destabilize
and bring down a democratically elected Central Government, then it would have
played nicely into the Opposition’s hands, a few million deaths being an
insignificant price to pay.
