New Delhi: As the Rajasthan political crisis reached a happy ending Thursday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, former deputy CM Sachin Pilot and Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal posed for a smiling selfie.
There is no substitute for truth integrity.The bonds of friendship & ideology are unbreakable, they will stand the test of time & reinvigorate the party.The direction & leadership of Hon'ble Congress President Smt.Sonia Gandhi & Shri.Rahul Gandhi ensured this bond gets stronger. pic.twitter.com/OgaNXiwyJ2
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) August 13, 2020
In the photo, all three can be seen with their masks. But while Pilot and Venugopal wore the mask to cover their nose, as Covid-19 guidelines say, Gehlot’s mask only covered his mouth.
Since the beginning of the political drama in Rajasthan, Gehlot has made several public appearances, wearing masks in multiple (wrong) ways amid the raging pandemic that has now killed over 48,000 Indians.
But Gehlot isn’t alone. Questions have been raised about the propriety of leaders not adhering to safety norms. At last week’s Ayodhya bhoomi pujan, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das didn’t wear a mask while some others, including RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, wore it under their nose. Das tested positive Thursday.
Experts say this is sending a wrong message at a time when following protocols is crucial to contain the outbreak.
Dr Sundeep Salvi, director, Pulmocare Research and Education (PURE) Foundation, said politicians are role models in society. Not only should they be wearing masks on a continual basis, especially in photos, but also wear it in the correct manner.
“When politicians wear their masks in an incorrect manner or constantly keep touching it and move it up and down or wear N95 masks with valves, which are not the right masks to wear at all, they are setting a bad example for the community. They are meant to be leaders,” he said.
But while Indian leaders don’t seem to be taking a cue, here’s a look at six occasions when Gehlot taught us how not to wear a mask.
Also read: No need for post-mortem in Rajasthan crisis, govt is far from dead, says Congress’ Venugopal
What you shouldn’t do
On 14 July, when Sachin Pilot was removed as deputy CM as well as state Congress president, Gehlot spoke to the media about his good governance, and how the fight against Covid was nowhere near over. However, even with multiple cameras pointed at him, Gehlot’s mask was lowered below his mouth, serving as a chin strap.
सरकार को गुड गवर्नेंस देनी है, जो हमने वादे किये हैं जनता से उनको निभाना है… कोविड महामारी के समय में हम लोगों ने जान लगा दी।
ऐसे वक्त में सरकार गिराने की किसी की हिम्मत होना आप सोचिये दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण है कि नहीं है? pic.twitter.com/gV3tUAX8h3
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) July 14, 2020
Ten days later, Gehlot spoke to the media again about the political crisis and how he had requested the Governor to call for an assembly session. But this time his mask fell even lower — to become a neck strap.
हमने माननीय राज्यपाल महोदय को रिक्वेस्ट की है, हम चाहते हैं कि Assembly का सेशन बुलाएं। pic.twitter.com/LzTkJ18GlC
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) July 24, 2020
On 27 July, Gehlot shared a picture of his cabinet and tweeted about the preparedness in dealing with Covid in Rajasthan and how all efforts were being made to treat even the most serious Covid patients. And yet, in a room full of people, Gehlot’s mask was only covering his mouth.
#COVID__19 के हर गंभीर मरीज की जीवन रक्षा सुनिश्चित करने के लिए प्रदेश के सभी जिला अस्पतालों एवं मेडीकल कॉलजों से संबद्ध चिकित्सालयों में जल्द से जल्द जीवन रक्षक इंजेक्शन उपलब्ध कराए जाएं।
1/ pic.twitter.com/mqWgbk5ph7
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) July 27, 2020
Two days later, Gehlot shared pictures of himself and Govind Singh Dotasra at a ceremony where the latter took charge as the new state party president. While most ministers had their masks on properly, Gehlot’s didn’t go above his mouth. Dotasra didn’t even bother wearing one.
राजस्थान प्रदेश कांग्रेस कमेटी के नव नियुक्त अध्यक्ष श्री गोविंद सिंह डोटासरा के पदभार ग्रहण कार्यक्रम के दौरान। pic.twitter.com/zfxYMl91UE
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) July 29, 2020
On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan on 3 August, Gehlot gave interviews to the media about how the Modi government was indulging in horse-trading and trying to topple state governments. This time the mask fell back to being a chin accessory.
ये खेल पूरा मुल्क देख रहा है और जो भारत सरकार में बैठे हुए नेता हैं, जिनके नाम मैं पहले ले चुका हूं, मैं नहीं समझता कि जनता की नज़र से कोई बचेगा, ultimately सच्चाई की जीत होती है। सच्चाई हमारे साथ में है, जीत असली सच्चाई की ही होगी ये मैं कह सकता हूं। pic.twitter.com/U8U3C8OYwl
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) August 3, 2020
The crisis continued, and so did Gehlot’s disregard for protocols. On 9 August, the World Tribal Day, Gehlot shared images of his cabinet as he spoke about development efforts in the state to uplift adivasis. The mask still couldn’t be lifted up.
आदिवासी समुदाय के उत्थान के लिए योजनाएं बनाने में राज्य सरकार ने कोई कमी नहीं रखी है। टीएसपी क्षेत्र सहित टाडा और माडा क्षेत्र में विकास कार्यों को बढ़ावा दिया जा रहा है। बिखरी हुई आबादी के विकास में आगे भी कोई कमी नहीं रखी जाएगी।#Rajasthan #WorldTribalDay
1/ pic.twitter.com/NFtNvPYzc2
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) August 9, 2020
Finally, as the Rajasthan crisis was resolved internally, Gehlot spoke to the media Wednesday about the need to “Forget and forgive and move forward.” No prizes for guessing the mask’s position.
प्रदेशवासियों ने जिस विश्वास के साथ हमारी सरकार बनाई थी, हमारी सबकी जिम्मेदारी बनती है कि हम लोग उस विश्वास को बनाए रखें और प्रदेश की सेवा करें, सुशासन दें एवं सब मिलकर कोरोना का मुकाबला करें।
:Talked to media in Jaisalmer today pic.twitter.com/QP1BTLuk22
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) August 12, 2020
However, one special occasion must also be noted: When he met Governor Kalraj Mishra on 18 July, Gehlot followed the norms and the mask was where it should be.
राजभवन पहुंचकर राज्यपाल महोदय श्री @KalrajMishra जी से शिष्टाचार भेंट की एवं प्रदेश सरकार द्वारा कोरोना वैश्विक महामारी से बचाव के लिए किये जा रहे प्रयासों के बारे में जानकारी दी। pic.twitter.com/Q0pVQ62Dsq
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) July 18, 2020
Also read: Three reasons why the Sachin Pilot-Ashok Gehlot war has just begun in Rajasthan
Hello author, please see the photo of PM Modi used in the advertisement issued by Government of India to highlight the steps taken by them to help migrants and others. Until, 3rd June it was used, when I highlighted this through one of letters to editor,the continued to use Modi wearing mask in wrong way. From 4 June,they used correct photo. None of journalist or media had shown the courage to point out this glaring mistake because they feared they may not get the advertisement