If you are also wondering, like I am, what brought this frightening second wave of Covid infections upon India, I have one word for you. Complacency. Yes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government became complacent and went back to what they do best – elections rallies and winning states.
But what brought this complacency? Modi got blinded by the applause.
We all know how much Modi loves global praise. He wears it like a halo wherever he goes, he wants to convince voters that he, not India, is the real vishwa guru. He does this while hugging world leaders and walking on the beach with them for a samundar pe charcha photo-op. So when The Washington Post, BBC, NPR, Al-Jazeera and Fortune began writing articles about how well India had done in bringing infections down, bedazzling experts and defying scientists’ dooms-day predictions, it made Modi swell with pride. He took it to the next level. He became the giver of vaccines to the world. This was the “false confidence” that the government fell into.
What is worse, this was the time when many countries were reporting a new variant and a second wave. We should have prepared ourselves then. We knew it could come to us. But we had elections to win. And that too seven-phase elections in just one state.
So, we continued to deny that the new variant had come to India, and that there was even a possibility of an ‘Indian’ variant.
Also read: How pandemic fatigue led India to squander a chance to beat Covid while it was down
The election and a rallying virus
Whether no one saw it coming or no one wanted to see it coming in India will always remain the question of this century. But the sheer blindness shown by the government and people towards it is truly tragic. What’s also tragic is the response to this second wave as daily cases constantly breach the two lakh-mark. Compare this with a strict lockdown when India had just over 500 cases.
By January 2021, India started tom-tomming about succeeding in vanquishing the virus under PM Narendra Modi’s able decision-making. But people weren’t dying less because the governments (state or the Centre) were managing to save them through their robust healthcare infrastructure. India surprisingly showed a low fatality rate (death rate) of about 1.5 per cent. The Indian immune system just fought the virus better. And therefore, people survived. Epidemiologists around the world were discussing this.
India’s complacency was so ghastly. The Election Commission decided to hold the West Bengal assembly polls in April, which saw massive political campaigns with large crowds at Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and J.P. Nadda’s hair-raising rallies. Hair-raising, because lakhs of people attended them with no masks and no sign of social distancing. It appeared like Covid never hit India. What more?
Our prime minister and home minister led by example by not wearing masks. Not mentioning Mamata Banerjee’s rallies here will be seen as my prejudice. But the fight against Covid has been with the Centre from day one. The distribution of vaccines has been with the Centre from day one. The decision of a nationwide lockdown has been with the Centre from day one. And although health is a state subject, the Centre was specific in spearheading the fight. The fight against the pandemic could not have been more centralised. Which is why the prime minister and home minister were catching eyeballs for not complying with Covid protocols.
This centralised approach led to constant tussle with states with Punjab, Kerala, Maharashtra and Delhi accusing the Centre of not supplying enough vaccines. In reply, the Modi government accused these non-BJP ruled states of playing politics.
Also read: After early success, why India’s daily Covid infections have surpassed US and Brazil
India’s anti-climax
India’s greatly fought battle against Covid seems to be having an anti-climax. We, both the government and public, brought it upon ourselves, behaving like complete dimwits despite seeing Europe, Brazil and the US, countries that faced multiple waves. We also ignored the warnings of epidemiologists who insisted that India would see a deadly second wave of Covid.
The government allowed the Kumbh Mela, and the media painted a merry picture of it all. Then the government allowed massive rallies instead of discussing the dangers of doing so. And the news channels went on crunching numbers, claiming winners through exit polls. Everyone forgot about Covid. Now Covid has given a tight slap to all. For a lot of people, it took pictures of burning pyres emerging from different parts of India to realise the pandemic was not over yet. An image of a Lucknow crematorium went viral. The authorities, instead of addressing the Covid onslaught, decided to hide it all by fencing the place.
India is now the world’s second worst-hit Covid nation. But we’re supposed to forget it all and do Pareeksha pe Charcha. We are just trying to wish away the coronavirus, as if it has been eradicated from India. The logic our leaders are giving — if we defeated it the first time, we can defeat it again.
But what they are refusing to look at is that India is now seeing multiple strains — be it the UK or the South African mutant. There’s also a new double mutation circulating in India. The second Covid wave is not like the first. Because those who have built immunity, either due to an earlier infection or through vaccination, can still be infected by the new strains.
All is not well. And behaving like ‘all is well’ will fetch us nothing but a tragedy that could’ve well been averted with decisive planning and decentralisation of Covid policies.
The author is a political observer and writer. Views are personal.
Edited by Anurag Chaubey
Modi is a matured Leader with immense foresight. His fast track development projects are an example. People have a responsibility too. Comparing him to a kindergarten kid who looses sight of future after first win in incorrect.
The Print is a part of Tukre Tukre gang.Always criticizing Modi Goverment.
I felt what u say is true, it is responsibility of government to save citizen for the tax it get. But I could see the system is failed to do so.
Our PM ordered his followers to beat thali,light diya,showering rosepetals by IAF jets.And we fools obeyed though many of us are more educated and informed than him.And we are deservingly suffering.However death rate is inflated due to corruption and at least 50 crore people infected .I was infected and recovered and hate all sarkari kit and other things .All are making money.
No the government and we Indians didn’t swell with pride because some trashy western woke news outlets started writing good about us (for a change), instead we felt good because we truly had corona under control, before people lost out on discipline. Let me remind you what the government said in its ads in January – ‘Jab tak dawai nahi tab tak dhilai nahi’.
Start taking responsibility of yourself and not depend on government for everything.
I do appreciate Zainab Sikandar. Unlike Shekhar Gupta, Ninan, Jyoti Malhotra, she writes straight and does not preface with apologetic praise of Modi’s genius, before discussing the mess he has created. Unlike Shekhar Gupta, Ninan, Jyoti Malhotra, she is also consistent between articles. She is more like Shivam Vij.
But she can be more incisive and say the cause for India’s mess with Covid is actually Hindutva. And that is besides the mess Hindutva has created with the economy, internal disharmony, and disharmony with neighbours. That is the message that the media has to get across. We cannot expect Arnob to say it. But others can and should. Otherwise, India will flounder. India is going to stumble from disaster to disaster due to Hindutva.
What about the fundoos? It seems you are in love with them. You want India to open the border to all the illegals from the neighbouring countries in the name of good relations.
You are responding with whataboutery – that too irrelevant.
Modi has been a failure on economy and healthcare and defence. There is no way you can counter that. The proof is before our eyes. No other country is in such a mess – and the world knows. And they know it is due to Modi.
Utter crap.. this is a congress sponsored lie to be slowly put in the minds of people..
How easy to just spit poison in the name of journalism. If Modi would have announced lockdown you would again be criticising him…
They are waiting for the pandemic to end so that they all can praise the man in power. Also all religions are waiting for the corona to end so that they can start performing miracles and healing the sick again
Shh! King can do no wrong. It is the damn people who are to blame and afterall these poor people are destined to embrace misery and death for not paying heed to egregious wisdom of the leaders.
I don’t know why all the bhakts are so anxious to prove that it is not Modi or Centre’s responsibility, it is the state government’s responsibility, or the media’s responsibility, or people’s responsibility.
It is good for Zaibab, Ninan, Shekhar Gupta to start to question Modi and the government on this fiasco – strongly, and not weakly and apologetically. In fact, I would go further and point out what has sunk India is the Hindutva ideology.
Right from the start of the first wave, the response was to use Covid as an opportunity to attack Muslims. That is a standard Hindutva trait. In that attack on Muslims, the media, the govt. and the public were involved. It only stopped when the UAE started expelling Modi’s bhakths, and not because the ideology and its subscribers had changed and become intelligent. After that, we were asked to engage in ceremonial shows like banging pans to drive off corona with vibrations, and light lamps for 9 minutes. Following that, Hindutva pseudo science was propagated – gomutra, Covid Papad and Baba Ramdev’s Coronil cure. A lockdown was announced with 4h notice without any planning for the poor workers. They do not figure in Hindutva’s swarna world. When the vaccine came, courtesy of Oxford University, it was used to show off India is the pharmacy of the world. Again, this comes from the Hindutva inferiority complex which leads to a demand for respect from the world by announcing we are the vishwa guru. Respect cannot be demanded and self trumpeted, it is earned. Other countries were stock piling the vaccine to save their people instead of showing off to the world.
Finally, the election campaigning and the Kumb became super spreaders. If the govt. had a national and unpolarised outlook, they would have got with the opposition and requested a postponement. But since Hindutva is based on polarisation, there is no concept of cooperation for the national interest.
As for the Kumb Mela, it was appeasement of Hindutva’s sadhus and holymen. Actually, the Kumb was supposed to be in 2022, it was brought forward to 2021 because the holymen’s astrological predictions of optimum benefit. As the Modi govt. subscribes to Hindutva and Hindu holymen are part of them, they enthusiastically endorsed the astrologers, against the advice of epidemologists. The govt. put out 25 trains for pilgrims. A Minister when asked whether the Kumb had become a super spreader replied that unlike the Markaz, these are ‘our people’. Modi weakly advised that the Kumb to be symbolic. The chief of the holy men said no one had authority to roll back the Kumb and it will carry on till 30 April.
The way Hindutva works can be seen in the following statistics.
Nizamuddin Markaz, 3000 attendees, daily cases in India 500, arrests were 233. Kumbh : 28,00,000 attendees, daily cases 1,70,000, arrests 0.
The message that Zainab, Shekhar Gupta, Ninan etc. should be sending is India is paying the price for Hindutva. And yes, it is Modi, but also the public and media and many states have been involved all along, as they endorsed Hindutva.
For the short term, we are stuck with Modi and his incompetents. But in the long term, we have to educate people that the reason India has failed is due to Hindutva. We have to be bold enough to say this.
At same time onus lies on those celebrities, politicians, subject experts and media professionals who created vaccine hesitancy in India, expressing doubts on entire vaccination program in early days.
wow! looks like a very personal agenda served in this article and it has got the treatment it deserved from the reader section .
To the editors of THE PRINT
“Please stop appeasing like congress. Just don’t print rubbish in the name of appeasing or just to show you are sickular”
I have been travelling thru many states during and after the first wave . Let me tell you the truth – many states like rajasthan , UP , Punjab ,maharasthra had no control over public as it seems corona never existed .Although on papers everything was fine and implemented . Nothing on ground . Who is to be blamed for it dear writer ? Two days ago Rajasthan announced complete lock down in state and I was busy shopping in a city of Rajasthan only yesterday going from Delhi . I was the odd one out with a mask . Who is to be blamed – I think Modi should be blamed . Isn’t it writer ? See I am on your side
Whatsoever it is a disaster, a blunder, a foolishness by the by when the rulers playing dirty politics of hatred from where do you think comes a plan of saving people…….
Any how Sir…..the crowd you have mentioned are the same handful of people gathering again & again in different locations at a given time to show majority……the rest of 90% of the country (are) Unheard farmers, Jobless youths, newly demoted poor people from lower middle class strata etc……who all are suffering , struggling, fighting against the covid & irrational governance till date…….(sorry to say the truth Sir)
It’s obvious that all the anti hindu people will find a excuse to blame modi for evrything…the question is did we really cared about Own health….did we wear the mask or pointed out people who were not.. look into urself before blaming others
All about modi bashing..is there a school in the rat infested JNU that trains journos to throw mud and dung on the PM of the nation. He never boasted that the war has been won . You are mighty immature in assuming that the second wave would not have come if stricter guidelines have been imposed…dear lady the second wave would have come in a different avatar. No PM could have stopped this. We have to face it and fight it out. But for modi our population would have dwindled by 30 crs now. Stop bashing and start learning.
‘He never boasted that the war has been won .’
Modi admired the large crowd in Bengal and said it was a great sight to see people as far as eye could see. This is on a third consecutive day where cases hit 2 lakhs. Most of the people at his rallies are paid to come. The BJP has been spending crores for his rallies. It would be better to spend on hospitals. Or now the need of the hour is spending on crematoriums. At least they are cheaper than hospitals.
The PM of the nation is dung and his followers are dung worshippers. That is the reason India is in this plight.
Another writer idiot who thinks he knows better.
Ma’am, having seen the gradual change in the tone and content of your articles, I can only say that you have come to a stage in your professional career where you need to decide what you really want to be – a journalist, a pamphleteer or a writer on Islamic issues. Take this article for instance. Of course BJP’s mega election rallies are wrong. But apart from slipping in one sentence on TMC’s rallies, you have not mentioned the rallies of Left Front, Congress and DMK. I do not expect you to bring up the rallies of Indian Secular Front, lead by Abbas Sidique, for obvious reason. But could you not mention that when the much castigated Election Commission, floated the idea of digital campaigning in Bihar, it was the self certified parties of social justice and progressives like RJD, CPI(ML), CPIM etc who opposed it? Could you not have mentioned the crowds at agitation of rich farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Western UP? And of the Mahapanchayats?
Please take time out to get off from high perch and read what comments the readers are writing about your articles. Of course, you have the option to fool yourself by believing that all negative comments are written by the IT cell of BJP.
Typical muslim journalist from a muslim company posting crap on the success of a hindu PM.
Watch how muslims have the audacity to sh!t on Hindus.
Hindus! Arise awake and stop not until you show these third grade muslims their place.
Comment your thoughts on every article on this website. And share the article to all your friends to do the same.
Samandar pe charcha ka corona se kya lena dena, katwi ko yahoodi pasand nahi hehehehehe..
The whole dialogue shall be shifted from responsibility to accountability here. From media to individuals and the ghastly population we all know why did this spread NOT BECAUSE THE GOVT. OPENED MARKETS OR POLITICAL RALLIES TO XYZ BUT BECAUSE WE AS PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO BE ACCOUNTABLE. We don’t follow advices and rules and our love of breaking the laws and then all of us together want Govt to help us knowing our system. Some us who really need hospitals and treatment are being punished because of the bigger lot who didn’t want to follow the covid norms. Pehle condom nai phente the abb mask nai pehnege.
I beg to differ… was only the government to blame? We all were partying… attending social gatherings… flouting mask wearing norms…attending weddings…vacationing…Only kumbh was blamed…and splattered all over the media….all said and done none of these should have been permitted whether election rallies … protests…kumbh or iftari or Vaisakhi gathering at golden temple that also without masks… a friend was there 10 days back n do u know it’s not permitted to wear masks in the golden temple .Every individual needs to have civic sense so that others can stay safe.
Think before uh write
Osai Zainab Pichi Lanja Munda. Annitiki Modi ye reason ante yelage Pichi Lanja Munda? Manam yem peekuthunname Pichi Lanja Munda. Don’t keep blaming Modi Ji for everything ye Pichi Lanja Munda.
When the common people won’t follow the rules properly then how can you blame a government or a Prime minister for this, even he is a human and let me remind you for him only the cpvid wave was limited in previous year, just because you are anti hindu doesn’t mean you can blame Modi
Why bring in religion again and again? Corona sees no religion. A leader should be an example to others, sadly that didn’t happen (even now). We are talking about all Political parties. Please accept the reality And stop being taking everything personally when Modi’s name is mentioned.
Lmao. How did you even come to the “anti hindu” conclusion from this article? Especially when the article is abt rising covid cases and the government’s incompetency to control that, instead of attending rallies after rallies in such conditions
Covid has no religion!!
This government is a disaster in all fronts!
All muslim here in comment section has a agenda against gov and and against the nation.We r proud of our PM,he did everything in his control to get the hold on situation.
Start was good. But we started basking the glory of our conquest over Corona. Singing paens of success which turned out to ba shortlived. It was too early. If we could defeat
the mighty Corona, Tmc was just a mosquito. We harboured that feeling also. Organized huge rallies but then crona also rallied back to show us the mirror. Let us shed complacency and swelling with pride.
Let us Follow only what experts across the world say.
Please understand healthcare is state subject not center fortunate that center provided support due to extraordinary situation states bungled u r a journalist surprised u r not aware I guess education to be blamed
Is this not a extraordinary situation ?
Ms Zainab Probably wrote the headlines before fitting in the content … which very few will bother with, we have seen that the Kumbh has been diluted by government action
We look forward to see Ms Zainab’s view on the ongoing festivities of another community .
Stop ur propaganda of spreading hate about modi… No matter how much u try u will not be able to bring him down…. He has shown his leadership qualities by handling the first wave… We have chief ministers to handle their own states…. Its not like only modi has to do the work and others will just use his name to show their failures
Sad to see that you pretend not to know that the first wave was managed by the Central govt and this one by State Govts. Mind questioning them a bit or are you too busy in your evergoing anti-Modi campaign?
Govt could have taken the same way actions as of first way, then you would have written an article “Another lockdown to kill people”.
You have ink to write so writing as you want not what’s right. Do you know how every state govt failed to execute the given instructions.
We know you are another NDTV.
Only morons will not understand or appreciate NDTV broadcasts.
Right???
The onus Is on the respective state governments to tackle the situations in their particular state . The respective Chief Ministers are responsible for what is happening in that particular state. Health issues in a state are a state subject controlled by the state. The Central Government comes into the picture when the issue at hand tends to be a full blown epidemic which the Central Government controlled using a lockdown. Once it is brought under control it is for the respective state governments to look after the welfare of the local people. If the respective State Governments lower their guard and the epidemic spread like wild fire how is the Central Government responsible for this. The author shows through this article her hate for Mr Modi rather than anything else. Nothing better expected anyways.
It’s not government to be blamed , at least educated editors must understand that , once the lockdown was lifted the people crowded every place like hell and now when the condition is out of control people are blaming government , government is providing vaccine at subsidised rate , and providing free treatment to people ,what else government should do as you can see market is collapsing due to lockdown government couldn’t impose lockdown for a long period and we can still see some ignorant people removing their masks in public so we must not blame government for our doings.
Seriously. You never recognized the success of handling COVID 19 all through by the govt but latching on the alleged failure. What you think, people believe your narrative anymore. No madam, you write whatever, you have lost your rationality. Offered no dissection to the failure of the non- BJP ruled states to handle the pandemic but Modi govt only.
“So when The Washington Post, BBC, NPR, Al-Jazeera and Fortune began writing articles about how well India had done in bringing infections down, bedazzling experts and defying scientists’ dooms-day predictions, it made Modi swell with pride. ” Maybe you don’t know that all these publications have criticised Modi non stop since Congress buy their weapons and gives free entry to their markets, etc. Admittedly they are paid to write a certain way and will never criticise some, e.g. Europe’s colonial behaviour or ME women’s human rights, if they can avoid it.
Article seems to be part of anti modi campaign by luteyans media…..no facts or maturity.
Dear Zainab,
Nothing against you but really the lockdown was decided by epidemiologists and economists, not by any political party. Do check facts! Also check what Modi has done for Muslims, e.g. asking for STEM in madrassahs, and what Congress or mullas did. In any case, why blame anyone? Why seek handouts or extra grants? We are capable of doing well if we want to and know how to.
How blind are these muslim journalists in hatred for Modi. The states where Corona has gone wild are ruled by Sonia Gandhis flunkies. These governments simply do jot listen to Modi. Look at farmers agitation no one took the advice of central government seriously. Infact, opposition wanted to teach Modi a lesson for succeeding in containing the virus. They jealously wished that the wave must return back so that his popularity ratings go down.
Remember the advice and advisories of government to the camping farmers at Delhi borders. Rahul and ilk called them shaheed when the farmers died at the protest sites. Many died due to corona. My advice is Hate modi but do not harm country in this hatred. Rahul even advised the misled farmers to Continue thier illegimate strike.
I feel like to drop with piece of information to the journalist, somehow her article critics below has answer to my questions.
“Critics to Critisisom” Is the headline line for Ms. Sikandar.
Don’t write the influenced and one way content.
Stop dividing people by your hateret articles.
One more article by the slave of the dynasty, conveniently,or deliberately forgetting,the, uncalled,protest by lakhs of fake farmers For months in Delhi and punjab.
Ramandeep kaur why you only states ruled congress allies or parties who are against bjp, first get your statistics clear and than print….ppl are not pappu anymore
The print is also a part of pseudo liberal and left ITcell. I think this type of journalism is ruining whole country.Zainab u r also a hater of hinduism and right front.U r spreading hate and misinformation to people. This is not good u have to be punished for this.
We are all shirking our personal responsbility. As educated citizens, who obviously read a lot-its amazing that we think that only the govt is to blame-sure, the infrastructure could be better; but think about this- couldn’t our own behavior be better? In fact-history has repeatedly shown that pandemics last for years and the most effective public health measures are in our own hands. So let’s start doing what WE can do…without letting “personal opinions” determine the “facts” that we put out there.
Rather than blaming government, we as citizens lack basci civic sense of following the guidelines laid in fight against coron. It’s our failure, not goverment’s : they are already doing their part.
What a biased article…..we are not kids….editor.
Great job! Lump all the responsibility on government. Although I am not denying political rallies were a pretty big contribution, let’s be honest here, we Indians are a bunch of snot nosed brats. The responsibility for the second wave was contributed equally if not more by general public with our negligence. And guess, why we can’t give up negligence and take responsibility? Cause we don’t need to, we can just blame everything on ‘dirty politicians’ over a cup of chai just like you.
So even you start shitting because of food poisoning or over idiotic writing, you will blame modi and the government. You have got no other productive work to do right? Get life a man.
Great job! Lump all the responsibility on government. Although I am not denying political rallies were a pretty big contribution, let’s be honest here, we Indians are a bunch of snot nosed brats. The responsibility for the second wave was contributed equally if not more by general public with our negligence. And guess, why we can’t give up negligence and take responsibility? Cause we don’t need to, we can just blame everything on ‘dirty politicians’ over a cup of chai just like you.
Equity mandates that the law be applied to the Kumbh mela attendees at par with that for the Tablighi attendees, duly discounting the learnings from the last year. And IPC be applied to the mela attendees for violating social distancing and wearing masks safety procedures.
Narendra Modi and company, as also the judges who refused to stop the mela, should be prosecuted for accelerating the spread of the COVID. By refusing to stop the mela even after last years experience, it merits an investigation if these public servants have used bio-terrorism.
The same journalists were having ice creams in celebration when MVA sarkar was busy attacking actresses, journalists & extorting money from biz instead of focusing on Covid management. The same journalists were cheering and egging the farmers to gather in huge numbers and protests on the Delhi borders … now the same journalists are shameless enough to blame Modi and say he is responsible for the second wave..
Why is she not fired?
1. Never read her celebrating performance on wave 1. I am not saying appreciate Modi but performance of India.
2. Her jaundiced eyes see everything through PR – what will world say – nations cannot be run through prism of ‘everyone says I am good’. You take hard decisions. Such analyst come out with shit like this. Instead of criticism leading to clues to what needs to be corrected.
3. I am from Maharashtra – it my state government which has screwed us – poor initial rollout of vaccine, unnecessary rule of RT- PCR test, opening of night life for vasooli – mind well second wave has gripped high profile society unlike earlier poor people, indulging in political mud slinging than seeking cooperation in worst times – Bruk incident.
It is easy to put blames, however it takes great effort to handle such a situation. Blindly blaming without knowing the intricacies is not a good journalism, especially attacking our Prime Minister. Do focus on bringing a positive change rather than blatantly blaming.