How Tablighi Jamaat emerged as the ‘largest known’ Covid-19 source in South Asia
In February this year, about 16,000 Tablighis had gathered at a mosque in Malaysia from across the region. Weeks later, the Ministry of Home Affairs in India was in touch with various states to identify over 3,000 people, and among them foreigners from Covid-19 hotspots, who had taken part at a Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin area in early March, reports Snehesh Alex Philip.
Be it Amitabh Bachchan or Virat Kohli, India’s rich and famous are quick to lecture or follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diktat. But selfless charity is missing among most Indians, writes Kaveree Bamzai.
Dear Muslims, Tablighi Jamaat committed a crime against humanity. Don’t defend them
Whether India had implemented strict travel restrictions by 13 March or not isn’t the question here, the point is why gather in such huge numbers, with ‘red’ travel history for the sake of preaching religion? asks Bismee Taskin.
China hasn’t just won its war on coronavirus. It’s also beating US in global diplomacy
Donald Trump has considerably piped down from two weeks ago when he described Covid-19 as the ‘China virus’. Beijing, whereas, is using the crisis to expand its own influence abroad. Thousands of masks and testing kits have been donated to Pakistan and several countries in South-East Asia, writes Jyoti Malhotra.
Covid doesn’t deserve the levels of panic we’re seeing in India, certainly not this lockdown
A total lockdown perhaps makes sense in a world in which Covid-19 carries extremely high mortality rates. By any metric, India has a far less serious Covid-19 crisis than many advanced and emerging countries. The Narendra Modi government needs to re-think its policy, says Rupa Subramanya.
Banks finally start moving on 3-month loan EMI deferment, after push from govt and RBI
Banks got moving earlier this week to give relief to borrowers by allowing a three-month deferment of loan EMI repayments, four days after the announcement by the Reserve Bank of India to help ease the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak, reports Remya Nair.
Poke fun at taali, thaali, diya and mombatti all you want. Modi couldn’t care less
Narendra Modi knows who he needs to speak to, who he should toss, who he can address in kind. People accuse him of infantilising his voters, but it’s a winning strategy, writes Shekhar Gupta in National Interest.