The timing of the headline of this column on 1 May is purely coincidental. It isn’t meant to be some kind of a play on words either. It is, unfortunately, the best description of the state of distress India is in. It’s calling out to all major nations for assistance, from oxygen to N-95 masks, to oximeters and vaccines. And when these arrive by the giant cargo-plane load, we have central cabinet ministers tweeting in joy. Until a few weeks back, they’d be dismissing any suggestion of the ‘new’ India seeking foreign aid with contempt.
We aren’t scoring a point. We can’t afford to. We are all in it together. It is, in fact, to be welcomed that the government is open to foreign aid in such a colossal national emergency, and is also seeking it.
The European Union and the UK have both said they are responding to requests from India. The UK’s assistance is coming from its Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and the US’ from USAID. Modi government’s ministers are hailing these as shining examples of shared values, friendship and so on. We learnt this growing up in our humble small-town homes that when your kitchen runs out of sugar, you are not ashamed of borrowing a cup-full from the neighbour. As the neighbour might in need.
Our situation is a little bit worse than a household running out of sugar. When both Imran Khan and Xi Jinping rise generously to offer assistance, you know you are in a bind. If you read between their lines, one is telling us we aren’t such a big power compared to it that we pretended to be. The other, patronisingly, is showing us our place in the region.
Especially as, at the same time, it also calls a meeting of the subcontinent’s foreign ministers to discuss mutual cooperation. Subtext is Covid assistance.
The message to our immediate neighbourhood, which India protectively seeks as its own zone of influence, is that we know how you all need help with your Covid counter-measures. Don’t count on India. At this point it is India that needs help from the world.
What China means to say is, see, India cannot even ship the vaccine doses and pharmaceuticals you ordered earlier. Of course, it was said that the meeting was open to India’s foreign minister too. That was just some unsubtle turning of the knife. That’s the reason we say, no harm seeking assistance from your friends and saying grateful thanks when your adversaries are sneering. In perfectly nice and decent diplomatic jargon.
Also Read: As Modi govt faces up to Covid disaster, BJP learns a tough truth — the virus doesn’t vote
What are we then arguing about?
Here is a proposition. While offering help to another country in need requires a big heart, it equally needs one to seek it. That level of humility cannot come from a closed mind. Because then you’d be a North Korean, Cuban or the current Venezuelan regime. And yet, if we can have such a large heart and an open mind when in a murderous quagmire, would it have hurt if we had displayed some of it earlier? Particularly when we were declaring victory over the virus and declaring ourselves the ‘Vaccine Guru’.
The prime minister told the world that India was its pharmacy when less than 1.5 per cent of our population was vaccinated. I would welcome letting Serum Institute of India (SII), our largest vaccine manufacturer, fulfil its contracted foreign orders, or even our government gifting some to friendly nations and talk about ‘Vaccine Maitri’ (friendship).
Large nations should do those things. But only if those large nations also look within and ensure they’d not be out in the world market looking for the same thing they gifted away. Do you give away a katori of sugar to your neighbour if that is all you have left?
Once again, this isn’t so much a lament about the fact that we sent away a little over 6 crore doses that would have come handy now when our vaccination centres are logging desultory, pedestrian daily numbers.
Another 6 crore, for a population like ours, would have cushioned us for a couple more weeks if a real vaccination drive, of the kind India needs right now, begins. But, the fact that we kept sending these away while not placing orders with our two brilliant domestic companies to scale up production and keep stockpiling for domestic needs, underlines terrible over-confidence.
We know that placing these orders in advance would need faster price negotiations, maybe that margin price of Rs 150 or about $2, when the UN was apparently paying $3, was seen to be a big political win. Also, an order of the necessary volumes would have required payment of sizeable advances and run the risk of audit trouble later. Those are things bureaucracies worry about. Not a leader who came to power on the promise of cutting through these.
What we have right now is a self-created perfect storm. We have this algebraically confusing differential pricing where the Centre pays one price and the states another. I’d have no argument with what price the private sector charges or pays as long as enough doses are available with the government.
Second, there is the age-group based policy and pricing confusion and distinction. Third, the Centre has had to finally pay the sizeable advances the two manufacturers had asked for much earlier. If only this decision was taken in time. And, finally, after all this, there aren’t enough doses. While the programme gets opened to all adult age groups this May Day, most states won’t have enough to provide their share for the doses.
How perfectly does it echo the familiar old story of the man in a village caught stealing onions? He was held guilty by the panchayat and given a choice of eating a hundred onions or shoe-beatings. He chose the onions first, gave up after ten, the shoe-beatings next, quit after ten, went back to onions, and so on until he ended up having both.
Also Read: There’s a need to hold up a mirror to Modi govt on Covid management, and this is the picture
Trickle-down economics never worked, President Joe Biden said in his address to the joint session of Congress earlier this week. He also tweeted that economics would now grow bottom up and middle out. There will be many sharp, and smart voices countering it, with equally sound intellectual arguments. It’s an eternal debate in political economies.
But one area where the trickle-down effect can’t be contested is leadership. Leadership trickles top down. And the more successful the leader, stronger this downpour. Triumphalism, premature declaration of victory goes straight into the heads of the teams also.
That’s why nobody checks if you have enough vaccines, oxygen, remdesivir, even paracetamol in store or not. Because there isn’t one major country in the world where the virus hasn’t returned with a second wave. Everybody celebrates victory, and refuses to see the signs of trouble as they emerge.
Delhi’s test positivity rates didn’t go from a ‘goodbye Covid’ 0.23 per cent to 32 per cent overnight. This kept growing over four weeks until it exploded. Nobody woke up. The top leadership was busy winning elections and dissing federal counterparts just when India needed unity and consolidation. The headiness trickled down.
Not even the explosion in Kerala and Maharashtra woke anybody up. It was seen as a problem of two distant states. If we were hoping that our state boundaries will protect us from a virus that treats the oceans with contempt, we were setting ourselves up for slaughter. And, bringing India back to a crisis where it needs foreign aid after four decades.
Of course, that still doesn’t mean our triumphalism has subsided yet. If it were so, we won’t embarrass ourselves again by using our top diplomats to complain about foreign media coverage of the gravity of this crisis, what brought us here, while we seek and accept help in the same crisis, from the same countries.
Also Read: Modi’s India loves global praise, but turns angry Vishwaguru at slightest criticism
Dear Shekhar ji,
You said ‘I would have no argument with what price private sector charging…’.
Why? Are private sector free to profit whatever they want? Are they above any guideline or rule?
Yours, Sincerely,
Rupam.
My economics book says that private sector must be allowed to charge and profit as much as it wants.
It appears that HINDUSTAN now requires the help of CHRISTIAN and MUSLIM nations in its fight against COVID !!! Ha…ha…ha…so much for “Nationalism”. No “Patriotism” is going to save you now. No “Dharma” is going to save you now. You are all doomed. Congrats Bhakt Buddhus.
Nationalists always work in the interest of the nation. It’s anti nationals like you who spread panic and profit from selling fake drugs and hoard life saving oxigen. Ultimately it would be nationalists who would do their best to defeat the Corona. Parasites like Shekhar Gupta can only criticise and do nothing.
All knowledgeable pandits only talk about lndians failure to combat 2nd surge of covid.&blame Modi govt. I would like to ask why most Govt. Inthe world also failed to combat the surge? This is a pandemic. Mankind has not yet any answer to this problem. Instead of finding fault of Modi why do you not try &suggest better solution to the problem we know you all. Seen you all. DTOP PREACHING VENOM.
chuslims and christians countries can go f**k themself .Hindus are spread in all countries if the virus spreads or goes out they will also suffer with us.So it serves their interest and No allah or Jesus will be able to save them.So much for faith in allah and jesus ha ha ha
Hindustan helped Christian and Muslim country???? now they will help us..
Well said
And China is Buddhist, Shinto, Confuscian. Japan is Taoist. All religions & lands come together to help humanity. We are not a Hindu nation or a brown race or any of that sort. We are the human race.
One sided view only
Someone / Some govt is trying to throw mud on Modi about Corona but the fact is illiterate n useless and thankless people who have never followed what he said, never wore mask, no social distancing and not come out of home, etc etc n this is endless. They did kumbh mela , they did what they liked without bothering for anyone n now they put blame on Modi. Their own thinking has brought our public to this situation.
They start remembering note bandi etc etc n start finding so many faults with Mr Modi.
May God give them brains to understand that if He was not Pm, half of our country would have perished. His sincere and hard work has saved us from a big big big problem.
This is all deceiving game plan by some other country. So wake up n understand
Yes shekhar, tell the other side too where people are freaking dying because of incompetent Modi.
Wait…
what did you say? There is no other side to death?
Never mind a bhaktz gonna be bhakkt.
Shame on you “sold out prestitude”…dont all the educated people know how vile journalists such as you are responsible in destroying a Nation by spreading malicious news to instigate some of the naive citizens …that too at such trying times! In your opinion, keen to know how Raul, Sonia or anyone else would have handled this crisis?! Dont we all also know how the Corona virus was tweaked in the Wuhan lab to wreak and unleash havoc in the countries that pose a threat to China…such an cowardly biological warfare! And cowardly boot licker prestitudes such as you succumb to those cowards to spread false news and hatred in this Nation…what a shame!!! Please find a life and do something worthy for the needy of this country instead!
If Corona virus was tweaked in the Wuhan lab to wreak and unleash havoc in the countries that pose a threat to China, what was your supreme leader, aka, VISHWAGURU, doing? Taking a sabbatical in Kedarnath with photo-ops? If anything can be called an ultimate disaster, it is people like you who call others boot lickers but still indulge in the same for your gratification with your so-called leaders. This government has dragged India into an abyss of darkness from where there does not seem to be any escape, other than destruction. Answer back if you have the guts!!!!
Ms Aloo Tikki Singh has suggested that funerals should not be filmed without the consent of the grieving relatives. Logistically difficult if fifty cremations are taking place simultaneously, some on pavements. Shri Anupam Kher has written a namby pamby column of how we should not politicise this immense tragedy, go back to being one happy Hindu Undivided Family. Is that the sanitised version of journalism you would want Print and many fine others to go back to.
Any body would have handled it better than a prime minister engrossed in self glorification and winning elections giving last priority to saving lives. Acts omission and commission, holding election rallies, not stopping Kumbh Mela, do not call for very high intelligence or great leadership provided you have empathy for the people and not just single minded commitment to your party.
You have hit the nail on the head.
Why do counter view to BJP always startby criticizing Pappu and Sonia, who are they. In today’s time they are nobody. People of india dumped them long time ago. Stop using them in conversations, it just makes a week argument when you are blaming and out of power and unpopular leader. It does not matter whose fault it is, but the buck stops with PM, since he is the elected official of the country
This guy’s a complete idiot. The moment he realizes that the wind’s blowing in Modi’s favor, he will change again. Finally he’s the great Shekhar Coupta
Well said
He who knows not & knows not that he knows not is a fool. Avoid him
You did your paid job as BJP troll army or BJP media cell??
I know Shekhar Gupta’s sweet-bitter pill is very hard for you to digest. India is back to begging for foreign aid or at least extending its begging bowl for foreign aid under the Messiah Modi…… this is the reality……
Shoo you blind bhakt. You have done enough damage already. Don’t spread your tutored lines anymore like a stuck record when we have death and disaster all round us.
The poor and pitiable Pradhansevak harping on a desire to become a Vaccine Vishwaguru and champion Vaccine Maitri has fallen flat on his face and facing flak from all quarters.
Thats rich coming from journalist like you who shamelessly reporting fake news about coup and who has a lots of unaccounted property. It would be great if you can share this scheme of getting rich with us .China which shamelessly hid details about Wuhan virus and responsible for pandemic were able to go scott free. How well did welfare countries like Canada ,European countries able to handle it?
Pakistan itself goes around begging for aid
This is all about power politics if you are militiarily strong and control narrative you can get away with anything .So all these examples you state are irrelevant. No one is doing better on this one. Modi was wrong to allow rallies but either ways you would have blamed him claiming its fascism is coming. You were the same people who spread narrative that vaccines were dangerous you should be equally held accountable .You encouraged farmers protest .This is same variant infecting Delhi. You promoted that as it served your interest so keep you moral highground to yourself.You as media publication should also introspect and look inwards the same advice which you dish out to others
SG, it seems like all the left lutyens liberals are up in arms against modi and that too in those hour of human crises. You SG, Rana ayub, barkha, arundati, karan, axar etc., are all in the same boat. Shame on you guys. We have a national disaster and you SG in particular are leading the these bandwagon of moral criminals.
Of course by storm. Because India developed it’s own vaccine within a time frame at par with developed nations. Because the first wVe of 2020 had very least effect in terms of spread and mortality as compared to world figures. Because India added 1000000 beds in hospitals within the lock down period 2020 to augment. Because it saved humanity by supplying life saving medicines to the world.
The Print is definitely part of the Sleeper Cells operating in India.
In your last column you said there’s nothing wrong in India accepting the aid during crisis. Other countries, such as Italy, China also has to ask for aid during height of the pandemic. Now, in this column you’re saying our International standing is going down.
Other thing, I really doubt this time we need monetary help. This COVID surge is a logistical nightmare. Hence we had to take international help.
Shekar ji did you anticipate this kind of Corona onslaught. Be truthful, I am sure you didn’t. Retrospectively all decisions, policies can be whether of Nehru or Modi can be proven wrong. Question is how do we help common man immediately. Do you have plan, then please suggest.
Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru simran only
An early thought ( before reading the column. ) Delhi is every bit as prosperous as Bombay, as far as government financing is concerned. LG and MC BMC are both senior mandarins. What if Mr Baijal had taken comprehensive command over the entire gambit of medical and other resources, personnel, and coordinated the response as Mr Chahal has. Undemocratic, perhaps, because there is an elected government, but considering how shabbily it has been treated, Dilliwalas would not have complained. When a public authority is functioning effectively, citizens are not going to dot the is. 2. The other takeaway from OTC which has relevance for the government in general is how well things work when one central control room is dismantled and 24 are set up in the wards. Whether it is power flowing to ministries in Delhi or the sharing of power between Centre and states, it is the undermining of this elementary principle of management or administration through over centralisation and micromanagement that has created so many Mayday situations.
… gamut …
With foresight / hindsight, so many things could have been done differently, helping save lives, reduce human distress, economic hurt and deprivation. Consider just one : Vaccination. For months, the world waited as teams, Oxford – Astra Zeneca especially relevant for India, raced against time to bring a safe, efficacious vaccine on the market. Pfizer and Moderna were almost certain to deliver. Sputnik V proved its sceptics wrong. India needed two billion doses for its citizens, apart from global commitments. To be administered in 2021, without waiting for Santa Claus on Good Governance Day. How difficult was it to create a core team to deliver this result. At about $ 15 billion, not frightfully expensive either. 2. No matter how this is spun domestically, this story is not playing out well to a global audience. Contrary to what may have been projected in the first election campaign as India being a land of scams, we had been steadily rising in the world’s esteem. Not so much in terms of what successive governments had contributed but what such a large collection of talented, hard working people had achieved, at home and abroad, when given even a half level playing field. A lot of that has been undone. We should slowly start the process of regeneration.
SG, at least during these dire times we expected you to be honest. The headline of this piece should have said ‘How Modi led India into a perfect storm’, not ‘How Modi govt led India into a perfect storm’.
Offcourse PM Modi is responsible for the Covid crisis in the world and in our country. It is PM Modi who made this virus and let it spread across the globe and it was not china. Everything happens in India is because of PM Modi. Also according to the journalist country like Pakistan is feeling proud for lending a helping hand to us. Offcourse the journalist must be happy for them.
An eye opener article hope everyone including BJP supporters take note take from this and start asking questions from Modi Government.
The mild tone of your piece is miles and miles away from capturing and expressing the anger felt by the people. Have some courage to give that anger a platform. You are embarrassing yourself with this frightened critique.
Mr. SG, till yesterday you were busy playing a cheerleader, praising most of what you are criticizing now. What a creep. Yesterday Rohit Sardana made the world better by dying. Why don’t you follow the suit to make the Indian journalism a little less bad. But before you do that, run one more episode of your cut-the-clutter to say that Modi’s popularity has grown after the second Covid-a9 wave.
Please don’t your stress yourself we don’t this kind of contents at least on these day!
Print is only trying to blame government. It’s not govt, its people and pharma lobby that are responsible for this. How come neighbouring countries don’t have even 50% of the cases whereas in our country, it’s increasing. Don’t crib about government. People are aware of your selective outburst.
The same Pharma and Healthcare industry is working day and night to produce required drugs..Who are you idiot..From some other planet kya
An excellent article, though some of us would find the ground reality very prickly and pinching. I would like to refer to a clever trick played by the Centre by transferring a large part of its burden of vaccination cost to states. There is no rationale to justify this. In any case, availability of vaccine rather than its cost is the most vital factor. But the issue is why does the Centre want to save cost and shift it to the states, when it has made an allocation of Rs.34000 crore in the current budget for vaccination? This is beyond comprehension. Total requirements of vaccines will not exceed 2 billion doses for a nation with population of 1.35 billion. If average price of vaccine is taken at Rs. 225 per dose ( mean of Rs.150 per dose for one half and Rs.300 per dose for the other) as quoted by SII Pune, the total cost would come to Rs. 45000 crore, which is Rs.11000 crore in excess of the allocation made in the budget. This can be easily borne by the Centre having total budgeted expenditure exceeding Rs.34 lakh crore for the current year. It may please be noted that India has spent Rs.59000 crores to purchase 36 fighter aircrafts from France, Rs.40000 crore to purchases Anti-Missile S-400 system from Russia and invested more than 4 lakh crore for recapitalization of loss making public sector banks. Undoubtedly, all these were essential, but isn’t saving lives of 1.35 billion Indians also essential? Alternatively, let me put the arithmetic this way. The Centre simply buys 100 crore doses at Rs.150 per dose and doesn’t bother what happens to the states and consequently to our young generation of 18 to 45 years age. It will have to spend just Rs.15000 crore leaving unspent balance of Rs. 19000 crore of the allocated budget!!! For what purpose and for whom?
Consider a weighted average cost of Rs 1,000 for two doses of vaccine per citizen, public § private. One trillion for one billion Indians. $ 13 billion. With Centre, states, well off citizens going Dutch. Compare that to 1. the loss of precious lives; 2. the economic costs of lockdowns, curfews, restrictions. Vaccines is the last thing where penny pinching is justified.
Does’nt state also collect tax and and cry fedralism when it suits them can’t they also intervene. State govt also charge huge tax. What does state govt do with that money BMC is richest municipality where is all the money gone?
Even the IAS officers so called steele frame of India what have they done? Shouldn’t they be held accountable or they are the permanent establishment not to be touched?There is zero administration on ground this morons who enjoy VIP like life live in bungalows when it comes to resolving basic needs fail miserably and are smug that no one can touch them.
Govts just looks like goon who collects taxes from middle class Even goons atleast provide security
Superbly argued with facts and figures. thanks.
Seems to be an attempt to grab power by maligning Modi and India. Big politicians and anti Modi forces have conspiracy with China and Pakistan it appears.
@Mahabaleshwar Pandit: Power grab with an opinion piece? Hope you’re being sarcastic. Sure hope you’re kidding.
A few points are in order to cut the clutter from usual left liberal anti Modi slant in the article. 1- Second wave was way beyond anyone’s expectations including that of Shekhar Gupta. He was praising Modi just a few weeks before on Covid. The wave was extremely severe in a short time leading to massive unprecedented demand on the health system, which had cracked even under the first wave. It is also openly agreed by Dr. Trehan on NDTV that even private hospitals where scenario analysis was done more professionally never anticipated this rush for oxygen, medicines or beds in such a short time. So if Modi said we won war against covid, it was for the first wave and everyone knew that further waves were possible and Modi always cautioned about masks and social behavior. 2- Indians have been extremely careless about basic protection of using double masks (covering nose and mouth), general hygiene and social behavior. 3- Vaccine is supposed to be an additional protection against the fatality and not a license to go back to pre Covid behavior. 4- We have now suddenly discovered in the last 2 weeks that vaccines work like miracles and everyone in India must get vaccinated soonest, if not tomorrow itself. 5- Vaccination program will run for at least 1 year, if not 2 and how much ever one shouts about it, that is the reality. Assuming we have 280 crores vaccines ready in stock, we can not vaccinate more than say 50 lacs persons in a day all India! This will itself tell us the timelines required for vaccination. 6- Price of the vaccine is the least critical issue. Those who can afford it will pay for it and those who cannot will stand in either State govt or Central govt queue.
But the current crisis is a wonderful opportunity to bring image of Modi down by few notches, which is of course, par for the course. No one is bothered about it and least of all, Modi himself. But people on the street should not misunderstand the issues or get wrong picture of realities and difficulties in the management of this pandemic at policy, administration and operational levels.
Thanks for that.
Press – including international media – is behaving as if India is China where you can control the population!
When Modi imposed the strictest of national lockdowns early on in the first wave – everybody cried foul. The likes of Burkha Dutt were showing how India is a poor country with the poor left out.
Now Modi is giving the opportunity to the states to do something about their outbreak and suddenly Modi is responsible for what is happening across the country? How?
Maharashtra didn’t have elections – yet has the highest caseloads across both waves.
No govt – whether in a developed or developing country can have the capacity to overcome a pandemic like this. What Modi is doing is the best in the given circumstances.
With due respect to you Guptaji, let me ask you one question.. Now all worthies are having the benefit of hindsight and are eager to pass judgement against Modi Govt.. But did anyone of them (including you), sounded the alarm bells in advance? Reams of newspaper have been spent reporting farmer protests, State elections (initial phases) etc.. Even opposition leaders including Rahul, Priyanka, Mamata etc were into aggressive campaigning.. Why didn’t any of the know – all media and their wise editors think it fit to remind the government or the general public of the possibility of a corona second wave?
If you can’t contribute anything positive, atleast stop spreading negativity alone.
We have had the worst display of brazen triumphalism the last three months from this government. With utter disregard for caution, it has permitted the Kumbh when last year the same set of ministers shouted themselves hoarse branding the Tabhligis as anti nationals. The Prime Minister and his Home Minister have exhorted the crowds to turn up in large and larger numbers during every election rally. The vaccine drive has sputtered to an embarassing stop even as cases are piling up daily. Yet denial is the only official statement from the government.
If the pandemic is the crisis we are battling from outside, the overdosing of Atmanirbharta is the crisis plaguing us from within. From vaccine suppliers we are reduced to vaccine beggars. The Emperor is in his new clothes and is praised by his sycophants. So intoxicated is he in their encomiums that voices of the people are not heard by him. Sadly, it is the country that cries at being exposed to the world. He continues to strut.
Why print is always having news as perspective of international community. The only decision went wrong is not ordering vaccine earlier and exporting vaccines without sufficiently vaccinating ourselves. US and European countries were also scrambling for beds medicines so nobody has the infra to handle such situation.
Is is surprising that no one came with vitriolic comments on Mr Gupta for exposing apocryphal images of a world leader.
Shekhar Gupta is an inveterate ‘Trickle-down-ist’, as against the disgusting people who demand that Govts do something about healthcare, education, employment, essential services, basic rights of every citizen: such people are swept aside by Gupta as ‘povertarians’. I visualize Gupta with his mouth eternally open, head thrown back, waiting for trickle down of covid vaccine, oxygen, To demand anything else would after all be ‘povertarian’. After Ambani Adani and other fatcat cronies of Modi have had their fill, hopefully Gupta will get the dried up leftovers that are permitted to trickle down to him and others of his mind.
The Print you are really a big liar misleading the people
Discalaimer: NOT in defense and with malice to none
It sounds like closing in for the kill; abysmal journalism, very obvious! Sad.
Criticize everyone, which you may feel is YOUR job.
What is your contribution these days to redeem the situation except for finger pointing (then again your sole job eh?)
I expected better from The Print.
Tailpiece: Is this creative journalism? just asking.
Journalists do not exercise executive authority. So blaming them is even more unfair than blaming the Opposition. They keep us well informed, including about things which governments all over the world wish to keep hidden from the public. Reporting the news should be truthful, views everyone is entitled to express, so long as there is no cross pollination. Difficult at such a time to shower praise, or provide alibis. That is the PIB’s job.
Health is a state subject. It is the duty of the state governments to work upon the constitutional obligations. But they were busy in their extortion or advertisement activities.
Not just these five loud mouthed blatant liars ,can make the dead talk but will be haunted,power hungry,,hatred and vengeance can let them sleep well,,HOW,,,,the country is ashamed how this govt has let the country down by just two at the top bragging about the crowds they attracted and ignoring what the country has been brought to its knees by power hungry insatiable lying leaders,,,who will forgive them for their sins??
Every where in the world the government has failed to anticipate the enormity of the virus but I have never heard their media or the citizens insulting their own leadership around the globe.
And no country or the global media has dated to write against any nation or leadership.
It is only our own vested interests who are hell bent on removing the present government by any means have done this disgrace.
We can also understand why the global lobby wants to rack up this issue and create this gloomy situation about India as they want to capture Indian market for pharmacy and Modi didn’t permit them to do so.
Why the so called second wave has not affected our neighborhood.we all are geographically have same level of Immunity.
I think it is well hatched conspiracy against our nation by the powerful Lobby and few countries and it is Shameful that our own few vested interests are helping them in destroying our country and economy just to grab power.
Let’s hope that the public understand this and not fell prey to such vultures.
Jai hind
Well said.,. It is very true that we are not bother for our country. They want to come to power and sell our country to the other countries. Days are not far off. Because of this God has sent the virus in the world to make people realise their mistakes and make the world a happy place to live for all leaving selfishness. We should change our constitution to make our country great in the world. There should be a limit for freedom to everything. This is my opinion.
let us also count our blesings. nobody is accusing the govt. of corruption in this regard. what would have happened if some of the ministers had tried to make money on each imports or whatever? don’t tell me it has not happened in the past.
Can you be honest, Mr Gupta? And confess that you too were triumphalist during the first wave, in these very columns? As Arundhati Roy reminds us in her most recent essay.
shekarji
let us be fair. even you in one of the earlier cut the clutter declared victory and almost said that but for commentator’s bad luck the worst is over. please go back to that cut the clutter and admit that you are wrong.
or perhaps it is commentator’s bad luck afterall !!!
You fell victim to triumphalism yourself, and hugely influential as you are did the leadership take this as a vindication of their policies?
Our drains are not filled with bodies, our hospitals have not run out of beds,” wrote one prominent Delhi editor. “Our crematoriums and graveyards are not out of wood or space. There is not even a cricket field-sized sliver of India anywhere that might help you make a convenient or macabre comparison with the Spanish Flu of 1918.” He added “that good news, or absence of expected bad news, is the truth that so many in the international community, and also within India, seem unable to handle.”
China which shamelessly hid details about Wuhan virus and responsible for pandemic were able to go scott free. How well did welfare countries like Canada ,European countries able to handle it?
Pakistan itself goes around begging for aid
This is all about power politics if you are militiarily strong and control narrative you can get away with anything .So all these examples you state are irrelevant. No one is doing better on this one. Modi was wrong to allow rallies but either ways you would have blamed him claiming its fascism is coming. You were the same people who spread narrative that vaccines were dangerous you should be equally held accountable .You encouraged farmers protest .This is same variant infecting Delhi. You promoted that as it served your interest so keep you moral highground to yourself.You as media publication should also introspect and look inwards the same advice which you dish out to others
Thats rich coming from journalist like you who shamelessly reporting fake news about coup and who has a lots of unaccounted property. It would be great if you can share this scheme of getting rich with us .China which shamelessly hid details about Wuhan virus and responsible for pandemic were able to go scott free. How well did welfare countries like Canada ,European countries able to handle it?
Pakistan itself goes around begging for aid
This is all about power politics if you are militiarily strong and control narrative you can get away with anything .So all these examples you state are irrelevant. No one is doing better on this one. Modi was wrong to allow rallies but either ways you would have blamed him claiming its fascism is coming. You were the same people who spread narrative that vaccines were dangerous you should be equally held accountable .You encouraged farmers protest .This is same variant infecting Delhi. You promoted that as it served your interest so keep you moral highground to yourself.You as media publication should also introspect and look inwards the same advice which you dish out to others
You are right it was central govt and in particular Mr Modi should lead by example and if central govt not doing opposition led by state govt should do it. We were failed by both.
Mr Modi here looks vulnerable of all criticism as he did not stop campaigning even though number of cases surpass earlier daily peak .
In terms of vaccination drive you yourself was saying that public is not come upfront in getting vaccinated on top of it there was an article in print suggesting expiration of vaccine in absence of use. It was due to some biased argument by some of the opposition leaders as well as lower cases during months of Jan/Feb and March, now everyone wants vaccines. This govt did another mistake by asking everyone above 18 to get vaccine it should continue its earlier plan (vaccination by age group) it will ease down pressure on staff handling vaccination drive as well as reduce chaos.
At the same time you can’t be bias by ignoring number of cases compare to last time, this rise in cases is not totally due to election you can clearly see all the states have similar increase in numbers so increase in numbers is not due to election. These many cases can not be handled effectively by any govt in the world on top of it number of patients require oxygen increased dramatically that leads to more deaths.
I hope collective response without hiding reality will definitely help in tackling this unavoidable situation.
Mr Modi clearly damage his image and give an opportunity to everyone who opposed him to attack.
Looks like “The Print” don’t have any other news other than criticising Modi government.
Biased reporting. Even USA and Europe took help from India earlier due to this pandemic. So what does that mean. Use your brain and don’t be biased. This type of pandemic has occurred for first time in the century and it will stay for long. Let’s see who else will take help from whom in future.
Useless and politically motivated articles. How much was paid to you for this. Any political party will try for vote and victor when situation was became normal . Who will know that the situation get worsen. My dear writer the time is not to write this shit but to help the country. You never know what’s the future. Do good karma and get fruitful results
What do you mean by saying how will they know..When u r employed by someone it is expected from your to be ready..Make scenarios, be prepared for the worst. That is why people vote for someone believing they will take right steps for the betterment of country
If govt is helpless, better to not declare victory also, if u think all things are happening on its own.
The Chinese virus has ended up showing how naked the Indian “emperor” truly is. If this doesn’t open our collective eyes, our country and its people are doomed. It is not as if they are incompetent- they are frankly dangerous, because they are doubling down on their incompetence and refusing to see reason.
I have 4 suggestions and all of these is to the RSS – if they wish to save their reputation of being “nationalists”
1. Replace this PM with Gadkari. This PM cannot unite the country behind him. We cannot have the ugly spectacle of states fighting the centre and vice-versa. No one trusts this PM.
2. Ask Gadkari to form an all-party govt. This will unite the political class. People with serious experience to man important ministries.
3. Ask the new PM to appoint 2 domain experts – one for managing Covid and the other for the economic fallout. Source vaccines from wherever you can, at whatever cost but vaccinate all adults by Dec 2021. Keep the economy running so that after we don’t fall too far behind China.
4, When the WHO declares an end to Covid pandemic call for new elections.
The RSS is bigger than the BJP and the nation and its people are bigger than everyone else. To save the bigger cause, smaller causes can be put on the back burner. A true “nationalist” would understand.
India needs to set up dedicated think tanks with regards to long term economic, foreign , defense, health, space program , land reforms, water sharing, border management, infrastructure policies. Their exhaustive work should become reference point for successive govt. Till such time we will keep addressing one disaster after another. Why not copy rouge state China at least for forward planning. PM should use talents like Scindia, Mukul Roy, Jr.Sinha, Gulam Nabhi , MJ Akbar to assist him.
Mr. SG, you were always appreciative of Modi’s election winning ability. You never criticized his poor governance. Had you done it as a senior journalist, not only you would have done justice to your profession, but also other journalists would have taken the cue and done the same thing. Now the nation suffers..
He is good for nothing , he was never a hero or common people’s neta. He was an employee of RSS, a poor mislead boy run away from home in search work filled with hatred and jealousy towards world. He managed capitalists for funding his event managment and rallies. Well it worked ! Thts it ! And this is only story. I am sorry for every common man who believed this venomous snake, who is good for none.
You leave in this country or some where else. Instead of who is wrong or who is right..pls give your contribution in strengthening the fight against covid. All the other countries are also in the same stage. Bit thier media knows what to broadcast and what to not. But unfortunately in India, media is trying show all negetive news and trying put people still further under stress. Please stop spreading such news and work for betterment of society. There is a responsible govt and they will take all required actions to come out from this pandemic.
Articles like this are all part of a coordinated last ditch attempt in concert with many internal & external vested interests, to somehow try & bring down the democratically elected Indian Government, & replace it with a pliable, tin pot, corrupt hodgepodge conveniently led by a half wit dimwit dynast.
IS THE STORM PERFECT OR WAS THE NAVIGATION PERFECT ?
This situation is not about leadership failure, it’s our own failure and being of the largest populated countries it’s impossible to control. did u write a single article about how it’s going to second wave is going to hit india and precautionary measures to public, because you do not have idea of forecast, you only know to write an article blaming someone after the pandemic happens…this is the time to be with unity and support each other and government.
You must understand that common man does not care about the so called media. that is the reason bjp/modi is winning. We understand that if central govt ask information then, you will say that govt is trying to control. now if that goes out of control, then you will see that govt has failed
if it is successful, the state govt has done it well. if not bjp/modi has failed. when modi/bjp negotiate centrally for vaccine, then federalism is compromised, when told to handle by state, then it is a failure of central govt
What?! No hateful comments by Sanghi Trolls of BGP(Bharatiya Garbage Party) IT Cell!! It seems they do not work on Saturday.
Modi and Shah and their uneducated and dimwitted andh bhakts have brought this nation to a calamity. Time for these criminals to go.