Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first address after the second wave of Covid-19 made one thing clear: the Modi government has decided to wash its hands off the worst public health crisis faced by India. The prime minister’s designer look of a sanyasi did not indicate any desire to renounce power, but it did betray a proclivity to abjure responsibility. He had nothing to offer. He knew it. And it showed.
The speech was not ill-timed. If anything, the nation has been waiting to hear PM Modi. The number of Covid-positive cases has been rising exponentially. The number of deaths is reported to be much higher than the official count. Health infrastructure is crumbling. Public as well as private hospitals have no ventilators, no beds, not even oxygen. The one thing not short in supply is dead bodies in crematoria and burial grounds. Life-saving medicine is being traded in the black market. Number of vaccinations has come down. Everyone is worried, trying hard not to panic. Everyone needs assurance. Everyone has questions about India’s preparedness for the crisis that is upon us. Everyone wants to know about the government’s plans.
Also read: Modi govt got blinded by first wave success praise as corona waited to strike
Woefully short
PM Modi’s speech was mercifully short. It was also woefully short on everything people needed, wanted and were entitled to know. People demanded answers; he offered none. People needed credible assurances; he offered empty words. People were angry at the criminal negligence of their elected government; he trivialised their suffering by treating it as personal misfortune. It was not the speech of a democratically elected leader submitting a report to his masters. It was an imperious ruler telling his subjects that all is well, that they must trust him and his government.
There was no dramatic announcement, nothing that could cause public panic. The closest PM Modi came to announcing something was to indicate that his government was not considering another nationwide lockdown. That was perhaps the only real relief in the speech. But you don’t need to keep the nation in suspense at 8:45 pm for this reward.
There was no account of the work done over the last year. Not a word about why we find ourselves in the midst of a second wave despite his earlier claims of India being a model of Covid management for the rest of the world. He chose to present the second wave as if it was aftershock of an earthquake, a natural calamity beyond our control. Nor did he bother to offer any details of what his government had done in the last 13 months to safeguard the country against this possibility. As he was addressing the nation, medical superintendents of some of the leading hospitals in the national capital were raising a red flag that they had only a few hours’ supply of medical oxygen left with them. The PM, of course, assured that plans were on to make medical oxygen available, but said nothing about why this was being planned now. Same with hospital infrastructure and medicines. Everything was in present continuous tense: “Prayas kiya jaa raha hai”.
There were no future plans either. The PM had suggestions for everyone else. The state governments must inspire confidence among the workers so that they stay back. So, if there is another exodus of migrant workers, the responsibility lies with the state government, never mind the fact that it was the Modi government that invoked a central act overriding the powers of the states to deal with the pandemic. He asked NGOs and social organisations to help the needy. So, relief work is not the responsibility of the government. He wanted the media to ensure no panic and rumour-mongering was happening. He advised the youth to form committees to enforce pandemic appropriate discipline. He forgot to tell them how to cultivate this discipline among the leaders who continue election rallies in the midst of this crisis. Not content, he also recruited the children in this crusade. In sum: Everyone except his own government is responsible for facing this second wave of Covid. For the Modi government, there were no targets, no roadmaps, no benchmarks, no tasks.
There was not even the usual attempt to bluff on his part. There was only one concrete detail that the PM shared with the public. He claimed that India was the fastest country to give 10 crore doses of the vaccine. This claim is incorrect and misleading. Dr Rijo M. John confirmed that the US took 82 days to reach this landmark, while India took 84 days. In any case, the success of vaccination should be counted not in numbers but as proportion of the population. On that count, India is way behind many countries. Going by the PM’s standards on economy of truth, though, this would be considered a small lie.
Also read: There’s a need to hold up a mirror to Modi govt on Covid management, and this is the picture
PR at all cost
What, then, was the point of PM Modi’s address to the nation? What was the speech all about?
Well, the PM’s address to the nation was a PR exercise, a high TRP show on national television. My friend Rakesh Sharma, who has tracked Modi for over a decade, calls it “Pran jaye par PR na jaye”. The TV show was to ensure that the public gets to see the prime minister and not notice his absence at this critical juncture. His lofty but vacuous assurances were calculated to give enough reasons for his supporters to continue to suspend their disbelief. The rhetoric was intended to distract the public from the tragic images of hospitals and crematoria that are now doing the rounds in the media. The entire ritual was designed to cover up the growing impression of a ruler indifferent to the plight of the public and, worse, a leader who is solely interested in electoral victory at all cost.
The trick has worked for long, with active support from darbari media. But the law of diminishing returns is beginning to set in. It is one thing to lose territory to China in the far-flung Ladakh and yet convince the public that it was China that got a thrashing. It is quite another thing to convince that we have done our best in this pandemic to those who are running from hospital to hospital for a bed, trying to purchase medicines in the black market and watching the pyres lit outside a crematorium. Sooner than later, this recognition is dawning upon the Indian public: Modi knows how to win elections, but he does not know how to govern.
Yogendra Yadav is the National President of Swaraj India. Views are personal.
(Edited by Neera Majumdar)
The entire Cabinet must resign on moral grounds owning full responsibility for the catastrophy facing the Nation.Look at deaths by thousands and Covid positive cases by Lakhs and the close relatives and friends of these people ,who are under stress .
OMG SAVE THE NATION.
How could China enslave so called democracies & powers like USA/Europe as well as media in west & India that they are all silent on fixing Chinese responsibility for the Wuhan Virus disaster??!!
Data robbers & freedom manipulators like Google/youtube, FB, Twitter etc.. are silent!!
No hash tag on how Chinese Virus is killing Indians, Europeans & Americans alike!!
No hash tag on how Chinese are killing Muslims while Muslims are SILENT as dead PORK!!
Don’t talk irrelevance. Yes, the virus came from China, they have controlled it, they have 35 cases a day, and they have a bigger population.
Similarly, US, UK and EU are controlling after a bad start.
India is heading to be the topper, it is going to be on the red list of very country, and it is going to stay that way for a long time.
The cause for the collpase of healthcare (and the economy) is Modi and Hindutva. Everyone knows it and you know it also.
It is time for the people of India to vote out Ravan Modi and ban the RSS. Hindus are being cremated on the pavements while the saviours of dharma fly around without a care in their private jets at state expense. The Indian Express reports the Muslims are volunteering to help cremate Hindu fellow citizens because your ardent saviours of the dharma like RSS did not volunteer.
yogendra bhai has the situation on its head. it is not for the nation to expect anything from the modi bhai. it is for the modi bhai to expect from the nation. after all th enation bhai elected the modi bhai.
The population figures go like this –
USA – 33.1 Crores
Russia -14.6 Crores
Germany – 8.5 Crores
Turkey – 8.4 Crores
UK – 6.8 Crores
France – 6.5 Crores
Italy – 6.1 Crores
Spain – 4.7 Crores
Poland – 3.8 Crores
Romania – 1.9 Crores
Netherlands – 1.7 Crores
Greece – 1.7 Crores
Belgium -1.2 Crores
Czech Republic – 1.1 Crores
Portugal – 1.1 Crores
Sweden – 1 Crore
Hungary – 1 Crore
Switzerland – 0.9 Crore
Bulgaria – 0.7 Crore
Denmark – 0.6 Crore
Total – 105. 3 Crores
The rest of the 25 smaller European countries combined (there are 44 countries in the European continent) – 6 Crores
Europe – 105.3 + 6 = 111.3 Crores
Adding the populations of Brazil (21.2 Crores) and Argentina (4.45 Crores)
111.3 Crores + 25.65 Crores = 136.95 Crores
Thus, finally you have arrived at lndia’s population figure of 136 – 138 Crores.
The implication of managing Covid19 in lndia is as enormous task as managing it in the entire Europe plus USA, Brazil and Argentina.
It’s easy to criticise!!
And, some of our own do their best to run down our own country !
Worth a Thought. Don’t believe rumors and hearsay.
Earlier your type was saying Modi has made India the vishwa guru, the vaccine guru, and on a par with US, UK and EU. Now you have your pants down and have been exposed in front of the world, so you tell us our scale is enormous and it is not comparable with others.
@The spinner: Earlier your types were saying west & Islam are vishwagurus!! Then they got abused & raped by China!!
Useful idiots like you invited the above destitute Islamists & western Christians to rob & rape the splendid Indian civilization!!
No change in the sick of your types too!!
Hope we have some amount of intellectual honesty. when govt is in the business of governance and not in execution, how can govt give targets as stakeholder are not directly reporting to govt. State govt which are the source of execution has not been asked to be resposible for their actions and inaction. Finally what is the responsibility of the people who had dropped the social distancing norm and today they cry hoax. Probably this is like the stupidity fo standing against the storm and then complaining about the lifeguards. Offcourse i donot expect anything neutral or sensible from media. Texas did not have power and nobody spoke something like this at the time of crisis.
Yogendra Yadav looks like and sounds like the doomsday man without the placard saying the world will end tomorrow. Instead of trying to placate the panic struck public, he’s fanning the fire of hopelessness and helplessness of the present crisis that is going on in India and the world. Of course it’s a pandemic and Narendra Modi is not Sri Krishna that he can stop the virus in its tracks with a hurl of the Sudharshan chakra; he’s an ordinary man doing extraordinary things so that India may prosper.
If Yogendra Yadav had only listened to what prof Randeep Guleria, the Director Of AIIMS said about not panicking, hoarding oxygen because everyone doesn’t need it and masking up and not having a blast friends and washing washing your hands with soap and water and not talking too much like Yogendra Yadav lest you spread the virus via droplet infection. Yadav must follow the old schoolboy dictum of keeping his fly closed because they spread disease and in his case, his mouth because it spews venom and does nothing except cause panic among the people.
true we must placate the people – till they die. doomsday man?
The time for empty talks of optimism is over. This government can do nothing except keep giving false hope and shift the blame to the people instead of assuming any responsibility. And brainwashed idiots like you are their main targets. Morons like you attended election rallies and cricket matches and are now spreading “gyaan”, calling the other citizens irresponsible. Please shove your “gyaan” in your “gaand” before some other angry Indian does it for you.
YY is back as Monday morning quarterbacks. Come on we are facing an unpredictable pandemic. Last century during Spanish flue about 2 crore Indians lost there lives when the undivided Indian population was just 22 crores. That makes it about 10 %. That time there was little migrant or general public mobility due to kuchcha roads. In today’s scenario the mortality figure would have amounted to say 13 crores. Govt succeeded in curtailing the loss in the first one year. Now the second wave has hit us and nation is scrambling to face this new challenge. We are living in India with an ocean of population. A poor country can not afford to be battle ready for unlimited period as it requires unlimited funds. But good for nothing liberals like the author will never understand bqs they just do not want to. Govt is on the ball, as long as each citizen and politician does its part responsibly we shall overcome this. Be positive.
any fool can run anything when the world is working fine. people are not elected to govern for that
India’s real misfortune lies in the fact that the electorate refuses to hold its elected leaders to account for their abysmal performance. Instead, the electorate indulges in hero worship and behaves like members of a religious cult or the fan base of a rock star. They will simply brook no criticism of the person they reserve their adulations for. And will go to absurd lengths to defend their hero, even when is a charlatan and murderer and actually does them harm. The bulk of the comments that have come in here support that view – there is no objective analysis of the incumbent’s performance.
Thus, despite the fact that former Union Minister A. Raja cheats the country to the tune of US$ 25 billions in the 2G Spectrum scam, voters don’t care. A.Raja plays the Dalit card adroitly and has been voted back to the Lok Sabha.
Likewise, terror accused Sadhvi Pragya Thakur who went about praising Godse and pontificated about the cancer-curing effects of stroking cows won by a thumping majority in Indore. This cow becomes A.Raja’s colleague In the Lok Sabha!
In the same vein, a semi-literate, Gujarathi RSS pracharak with a pogrom under his belt, crony capitalism as his calling card and economic mismanagement as his trademark is still not held accountable. But Modi’s rank incompetence, warped priorities and self-aggrandizement are all manifested in his handling of the COVID crisis and the ensuing human tragedy. Yet, bhakths will blame everyone but the cult leader – even when their own lives are in danger thanks to Führer Modi’s inept handling of the crisis, worsened by his autocratic tendencies. Indeed, there was one commenter here in The Print who said he was even willing to sell his kidney for Modi !
Two quotes from the ancient Greek philosopher Plato capture the events of India:
“The people always have some champion whom they set over them and nurse into greatness. This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector.”
“In politics we presume that everyone who knows how to get votes knows how to administer a city or a state. But, when we are ill , we do not ask for the handsomest physician, or the most eloquent one”
Theyse quotes apply to India and to the illogical, idiotic and destructive Modi worhsip one sees in India.
Today I saw a clip of Arnob discussing with 5 doctors about the second wave and how to flatten the curve. He was meek and low key. Gone was his Hindutva nationalism and ‘Poochta Hai Bharat approach to Muslims and seculars’ !
The govt’s fiasco in corona wave 2 has subdued even a bhakth like Arnob. He was not attacking anyone for it now – Muslims, Congress, Nehru, seculars. He wanted to look for a solution. The meekness comes from the realisation that he or his family may be struck and one may not get bed space.
Of course he should raise his voice and put his Poochta Hai Bharat to Modi and his sycophants . Yadav comments Indians want answers. But Arnob does not have the guts for that. He cannot raise a voice against the sadhus holding the country to ransom over the Kumbh, like he did against the Markaz. He is a Hindutva coward who batted for Modi and those who have wrecked India.
We see that bhakths are blaming all except their Supreme Leader. One says the states are responsible for the mess up. Another says the Indian public is indisciplined. Another asks why farmers were not blamed. Another says we have a large and poor population and we do not have the resources, India is not like Israel or England or US, so how can we blame Modi ? Yet another says the media should educate people.
They are pleading diminished responsibility because it is a loss of face to say Modi and Hindutva are failures, and their supporters are complicit . These people have been the enablers of communalists, murderers, dacoits and thugs under the guise of nationalism (Modi, Yogi, Sadhvi all have the blood of Indians on their hands).
I say Modi and Hindutva are responsible for the Covid fiasco. Here is the proof.
Modi continued with extended elections and rallies in Bengal – knowing the Indian public is indisciplined. PM Tagore was admiring the sight of his bhakths – who had been hired to cheer him. It is still going on.
The govt. laid 25 trains to the Kumbh Mela. It did not lay trains for the migrant workers.
The sadhus brought the Kumbh forward by 1 year due to some astrologers. Modi does not have the courage to put his foot down on the sadhus who say they will continue with their religious frenzy till 30 April. This is the baggage of Hindutva.
The BJP ministers and Modi himself were encouraging unscientific behaviour. Previously, a BJP MP had said that cows exhale oxygen. So why is there an oxygen shortage considering cows have multiplied under the BJP ? The latest is the CM of Uttarkhand stated that our rishis and munis used to live for days without oxygen in Vedic times. Then why do you blame people if this is what leaders teach ? It is no good saying our people are sub-standard. Nehru knew that but still he worked to create a scientific temper – he created the IITs, medical institutions and the space and nuclear programme. If our people are backward, what has the BJP done to change it ? The BJP has encouraged rank superstition and astrology. I have a video of a person with mask delivering gomutra to a patient.
See the interview with Barkha Dutt in CNN to view the reality. There is no oxygen, there is vaccine shortage and crematoria are melting down. In the time it takes to increase the supply of these, the infected will multiply. She said Modi indulged in false nationalism and did not allow import of vaccines till now. Only another prolonged lockdown can break the chain. The new variant is affecting children. She said new born babies are affected. Her own father is in ICU.
My message to Indians : it is time to recognise the failure of Modi and also realise this is where Hindutva will take you. You will have to put up with this torture for another 3 years. But come to your senses now.
How could China enslave so called democracies & powers like USA/Europe as well as media in west & India that they are all silent on fixing Chinese responsibility for the Wuhan Virus disaster??!!
Data robbers & freedom manipulators like Google/youtube, FB, Twitter etc.. are silent!!
No hash tag on how Chinese Virus is killing Indians, Europeans & Americans alike!!
No hash tag on how Chinese are killing Muslims while Muslims are SILENT as DEAD PORK!!
Don’t try whataboutery. The virus came from China, they controlled it, they have 35 cases a day, and we have 3 lakh cases. China’s economy has rebounded with growth at 18%. I am not an admirer of China, but they are capable of fixing a health care problem. We are not capable of fixing the health system as we are mired in Hindutva ideology, astrology, and Vedic mumbo jumbo about cows exhaling oxygen.
We need to eradicate Covid and Hindutva viruses.
What about the fools we call public? Don’t they have any responsibility or do we expect the government to do the baby sitting for them? Who asked them to go to religious or political gatherings and who told them not to wear masks in public?
And can you suggest an alternative to Modi at the moment? None whatsoever.
The public is indeed a fool also in electing (a mass murderer) and re-electing them. We are paying the price.
‘Who asked them to go to religious or political gatherings and who told them not to wear masks in public?’
Who put out 25 trains for Kumbh Mela ?
Modi declared Covid will be conquered in 25 days. Harshvardhan gave the message we are in the end game for Covid.
Cannot a nation of 1.3 billion produce a non-criminal ? The alternative to Modi is Congress. Rahul is not so bad as you make out. He does not speak like a jahil and he is not a genocidist. When MMS made a suggestion on vaccines, Harsh Vardhan lashed out in the usual uncouth manner – but next day, the govt. started implementing what he said.
Gopa: You bray:
“.. And can you suggest an alternative to Modi at the moment? None whatsoever ..”
Well, you remind of the cricket pundits who would say:
“Gavaskar is indispensable”
“Kapil Dev cannot be replaced”
“Tendulkar is ir-replaceable”
Well, turns out that all these guys have been replaced and Indian cricket flourishes.
Moving on to the other ludicrous claim about the public being fools. Fact is, in a country where high levels of illiteracy is compounded by the inherent propensity of Indians to indulge in uncritical hero worship, it is even more important that elected leaders lead by example. And regardless of what regional leaders do, the PM, who is the voice and face of the country leads by example. And regardless of the election cycles in the country, the PM’s job is to work for the country and not for the BJP. On that front he has miserably failed – PM MOdi puts party and himself ahead of the people.
And getting back to your ludicrous claim about Modi being so great that he is God himself and cannot be replaced, well, here is what former President of France Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970).
“The cemeteries are full of indispensable people”
YoYa will always remain the dreg of any movement. It’s core et cetera. Be it the AAP movement or
kisan andolan. This reptilian brain is one of the tragedies of too much democracy that one has to suffer. The law of diminishing returns has truly caught up with his jholawala politics. Compared to him the other failed commie, Sitaram Yechuri, a once upon a time Intellectual, is a star.
why are you getting upset about YOYA. you be happy that we are report 350 K infections daily. the true number could be double that or many times that. you should be concerned about the number of bhakts who have died attending the election rallies and the number of bhakts permanently damaged for life by some aspect of the virus. that could be a source of comfort ?
Can any body expect Yogendra Yadav to be honest in his assessment. He himself is responsible for spread of Corona. Instead of making farmers understand the seriousness of Corona , he instigated them to hold dharna. Thousands gathered , they claim lakhs gathered and Corona was to explode and then to further their political goal , farmers were dispatched to all the states to canvass against Modi. Will Corona not spread. Actually people like Yadav are enemy of humanity
Yo Ya is what he is . Do you have a clue about what you are talking about? are you honest with yourself? that is more important than what Yo Ya says or does.
Good
Great Yogendra Yadav said true. There is acute shortage of beds,oxygen,life saving drugs,ventilators for Covid-19 patients but there is no shortage in supply of dead bodies in crematoria and burial grounds. PM Ji “PRAYAS KAR RAHEN HAIN” perhaps in Kolkata or Howrah.
Hats off to Yogendra Yadav for explaining to the readers the realities of the Government’s hollow speeches and the difficulties being faced by Covid-19 victims in hospitals.It’s true that there is shortage of beds,ventilators,oxygen,life saving medicines,pp kits,etc.but there is no shortage in supply of dead bodies in crematoria and burial grounds. PRADHAN MANTRI JI PRAYAS KAR RAHE HAIN ! Perhaps in Kolkata.
Kudos!The article narrated the problem faced by the general public and patience. We are aware of it, but the writer failed to establish where the vaccination has gone. If it is gone, why without protecting Indians? Why were oxygen cylinders exported to foreign countries? Is it true? Why it is done when the internal requirement is too high. Without preparedness for the second attack, we undermined our own home and allowing people to die without a modicum of respect. A sufferer needs relief, not rhetoric.
Very appropriate comments ,, someone has the guts to tell the truth ,,,
How so ever bitter ,,, it’s the blind folded Bhakti’s who are responsible to keep this man in power even after 6 years of mismanagement ,, the only highlight is the event management ,,, list is endless if anyone wants to look at it … but the mukhauta is fading and the body language is crumbling .. only the paid media keeps the image building activity going ..
Shame on us for not speaking up when it mattered …
Paki or commie congressi spotted!!
Would salim bhai start an organisation called TLI to start anti FRANCE campaign like TLP.
India has to have Population control bill which will be helpful IF severe penalties are imposed for anyone found guilty of breaking the rules!! Else, the usual suspects will break the rules while claiming victim hood!!
People should be forced to pay heavy financial penalties with loss of govt. support & subsidies, de-franchising for people & their families if found guilty!!
So called secular but in fact extremist, illegal & immoral Muslim bodies like WAQF board should also be made to pay heavy penalties if their community deviates from the rules!!
Brilliantly summarized. Couldn’t have put it better.
People comnting here just don’t know the reality or just pretending that they don’t know anything…reading these comnts saying that govnt is not responsible for this is just killing me…but how ..how they can say like this…it’s shows how easily and badly our people can be manipulated…they doesn’t even spend some time to know the truth..it’s just so sad to see my india like this it is already half dead…and will be completely dead…under this govt sooner…..uuterly disappointed….
Don’t worry Brother! Not all the people are blind yet. There are handful people like you and me who will fight with these Andh bhakts and will try to open their eyes. We will keep trying , don’t lose hope!
Just think again . Actually your thought process has been manipulated.
How many hospitals & Oxygen factories were opened by Kejrudin’s Delhi or Sonia’s Pakistani Sena in Maharashtra?? When will citizens get rid of these hafta politicians, media or Chinese Paid so called social activists like this idiot Y.Yadav??
In British Khangress installed Hindu apartheid & genocide land, India, zMUSLIM BODY, WAQF BOARD can declare YOUR PRIVATE PROPERTY as theirs and you can’t even go to the courts!!
This is democracy, secularism & governance according to @The Print, Indian express… & so called secular commie politicians, Islamist’s & libarandus!! zIslam can declare parliament of India as their property and no one can do anything!!
Idiot, medical oxygen is supplied by the central government
You are an idiot!! IF everything has to be done by the central government, what’s the point of having state governments especially the secular congressi kind which made Islamic terrorist-an and kept voters of that terror land in India??!!
More than anyone, you definitely need a reality check. Please don’t belittle your name.
Yogendra Yadav is definitely a Totally bought out stooge who has no Real Stand. I wonder if he can even look at himself in a mirror. If he ever does, will be horrified at the Guy there.
I don’t understand why he ia even given a space to write.
The Print too is as lowly & disgusting as YY.
All u guys will Rot in hell & die like RATS.
One thing is for sure, Mr. Yogendra Yadav. You sure can write some shit. Reporters like you deserve the credit of driving such a big nation’s blind and stupid people upto insanity. But for good or bad, India is now probably 80% for shitty people like you.
For sure there was a golden time of this country but not anymore. Reason, spineless people like you. You really deserve this country. Go destroy it to the maximum and make money out of it, just like what most politicians have done so far. Not one reporter have been found who has the spine to report the facts. And I understand upto certain point that you are selling too. And can’t sell something easily if it’s not spicy enough for people. But really, till what extent? Is there anything called moral or ethics left in you guys, anymore?
Comments show that how well these gunda politicians have knit the web, who won’t allow the genuine leaders to takeover the reins of this poor country. I really have lost the faith that this country can be ever made liveable for the reformists. Mr Yogender, you are just wasting your time and life like many others being in your motherland. I wish, you should opt to settle in some developed country , which many Indians, have already done. How true Guru Nanak ji was… Let the good people move away……..
Stop writing against Modi! He is the most patriotic PM ever!
Yes!! PM Modi is the best PM ever!! Ironic that this PM is still defending dharma & lives unlike the Congressi un-elected autocrat like Nehru!!
The western media say without exception that the Indian govt. has failed its people. Modi’s bhakts are telling us the people failed the govt..
Modi declared India is the Vishwa guru and Vaccine Guru. But we do not have vaccine, oxygen, bed and crematorium.
China where the virus started has 35 cases a day, and the economy has bounced back to 18% growth. India has 3 lakh cases daily and this is going to increase. Modi will continue with election and Kumbh.
India is on the way to become a pariah nation. The UK and Canada have put India on a red list (the UK held off for a long while because they wanted a trade deal). Oman has banned flights, afterwards UAE has. In the coming days, you will see the US and the EU. The rest will follow.
We are at a point where Americans and Europeans were last year while we were not that badly impacted. You can’t blame one specific factor here, people are responsible and weak governance as well. We Indians are wired to short live a disaster rather learn and be ready for future. Whatever Govt you bring in future , modi or no modi, things will never change here because we are so well adapted to the current system
This criticism is out of order.
Anyone who is faintly aware of what is going on is very clear that a lot of forces are now working very hard and desperately to see Mr Modi fail.
And in that desperation, circumstances reasoning and adverse conditions have been deliberately ignored to make a point.
I won’t defend Mr Modi for his high-handedness in other matters, but in this matter the short sightedness and casualness of the people in defiance and denial of the real dangers of this pandemic. is to blame for this hopeless situation.
At this time, we need to join forces as a people to come out on top. and everyone must refrain from indulging in political opportunism while the country mourns its dead
How could China enslave so called democracies & powers like USA/Europe as well as media in west & India that they are all silent on fixing Chinese responsibility for the Wuhan Virus disaster??!!
Data robbers & freedom manipulators like Google/youtube, FB, Twitter etc.. are silent!!
No hash tag on how Chinese Virus is killing Indians, Europeans & Americans alike!!
No hash tag on how Chinese are killing Muslims while Muslims are SILENT as dead PORK!!
Brilliant. Savage.
Due to your irresponsible behaviour you were kicked away from party by Kejriwal. The most disgusting and disgraceful individual of India. Today you are barking but why were you hidden in your kennel when people required counseling for behaving responsibly. Don’t bark now. And you are the people who help the enemies at the time of war. The urban nuxals.
Yes it is true .this government is only diverse the people through sweet talk ……NOTHING ELSE……….all points are very clear so I request to every citizen please please please make pressure on the THIS DUMB GOVERNMENT….PLEASE
NOT FOR YOU BUT FOR NATION……
Whst and insipid article! Pl don’t give space to people who look to settle personal scores. Sheer waste of time!! Pl only get experts to write in
the PM was busy in election duty
Why waste your newspaper for such Yogendra Yadav who can’t think positive for India .
Only nullify all positive stand taken by government.
Health is a state subject – but Kejriwal is busy with giving advertisements and making centre culprit .
Maha CM will talk to PM through national channels – not in person – just to blame game.
Let good people only talk .
Regret having read this silly report 👎
Wow. What a comment section. People aren’t realising that those are real concerns and actual questions which everyone should ask. I think PM should come forward and have a open qna with Indian as well as world media regularly
@Ankit Raj: You think the majority of world media including Indian is honest or unbiased?? They are led by the nose by Islamo–leftist fascists like Biden & tech-industrial complex like Google, Twitter etc..!!
Very good service
Modi is the worst of all the Prime Ministers of Independent India. He could have stopped the rallies and the Kumb Mela, but No he didn’t because he has to patronise bhakts and right wing Hindus. For them Ganga Maiya will save them. A true leader leads by example not greed. He has destroyed India totally.
Why there are so many stupid people living in India? If you have constipation, will you also blame the PM for that.
Let me tell you what Y Y would have done! If he was the PM
Dharna
Day 1. Against. COVID 19 virus. Why are you so destructive?
Day 2. Against. State Govt.s for not doing enough
Day 3 Against Oxygen suppliers for not producing enough
Day 4 Against vaccine makers n Doctors for delays
Day 5. No Dharna but a fast unto Death lasting till evening to true path to China/ Media etc
Day 6 Dharna against his own Govt. For not taking him seriously
Day 7. A fast unto Death, fasting till evening to atone for his failure
After 7 days
Even. God. Rested
A tired has-been, Yogendra Yadav has survived longer in the media pages.than he deserves.
It’s surprising how people who have nothing to contribute to national life peddle themselves as thinkers.
But that’s the trade mark.of most so-called socialists in our country. So we can keep hearing from them.some more time.
Shri Yogendra Yadav is not a has been because he never was!
Yogendra Yadav is a paid Chinese stooge!! Idiots like you can worship him!! Open a mosque for him & pray for this Chinese Jihadi!! Then China will make this mosque into toilet & everyone will be happy!!
Boycott Print
You guys are brainless souls.
A very appropriate article about the crisis we are facing and the mismanagement happening. The PM wants to take credit of everything be it the vaccines or management of the first wave . But now due to the complacency of the Modi government we are facing the worst health crisis. Now he doesn’t want to take responsibility and now the State governments are responsible for everything. His supporters consider him to be a world leader. Is this how a true leader handles a crisis. He is more interested in the elections and rallies. He doesn’t care about the people of the country and calls himself a world leader and chowkidar. Feku no. 1
We need to win seats in Assam and Bengal… get softer side by majority by not banning kumbh… and we can not give u PM relief fund details whether used in cause or election… “A Maglomaniac.”
Unfortunately andh bakht never realise..
But very soon…
Professor Yadav has once again spoken the truth. If you don’t believe, look at the comments below. No one wants to criticize Modi even when people are dying when his govt boasts about India’s successful Covid tackling. The Bengal elections could have been postponed or clubbed together. Modi won’t do it. He wants to win standing upon dead bodies. He will win because we have people like those who are commenting here on failure of state govts. Modi boasts of selling vaccines when Indians die without them.
Once again got good opportunity to criticize mody.
Are Bhai iss pandemic mein aap Kya Kar rahe hai public ke liye. Only criticism of govt and mody will not work. Ye pandemic hai. PL understand. Sab El saat Millar Kam kijiye. 100% perfection mushkil hai.
Hypocrite is the least offensive term that I can use against the self appointed leader of the rich farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Western UP. It was he and people like him to gathered crowds in huge numbers and without wearing any masks, in the name of farm agitation. The anti NDA, liberal media showed the country these images for months. They did not get any reports of an alarming surge in covid numbers and let down their guards. And now see the results. I hold these farmers and their leaders as responsible for this second wave.
Illegal Farmer protests & hate mongering Mosques are secular & Halal!! They are part of stupid Indian democracy!! Here NO laws like the French are made to protect the nation from Islamism & commie scoundrels!!
Mr Big looser
You are big flop Mr. Yogendra Yadav
The Print, Modi hater always finding faults with whatever Modi does. We don’t care what the Urban Naxal Yogendra Yadav who squats with fake farmers, says!
..most of the comments are defending the PM of his role..while conveniently forgetting that the ‘ corona’
Was brought to india in feb 2020 by neglecting all protocols knowingly…
Couldn’t have thought of a better critique myself. Seriously, what a moron! It’s so disgusting it’s funny that a person who spent months roaming around without a mask on, among thousands of people, feels comfortable shifting the entirety of the blame to the government absolving the public and by proxy himself, of all guilt that is due considering the negligent slant people have adopted towards the pandemic. I would have read a longer article had it included an analysis of how problems mounted instead of having to just satisfy myself with the essay of a whiny schoolboy who seems to have assumed that people will drink his kool-aid blindly.
YY does not see any thing positive. He should check his blood group. Now it should be negative only
Just because there are numerous platforms available to showcase your hollow intellectual posturing you are misusing the liberty of speech by indulging in such irresponsible narrative.
For everything wrong in India you hold Modi responsible. Then why cry for federalism, discard it. Federal structure is important when fighting for the state rights but when it comes to sharing responsibility hold Modi responsible. Opportunism at its best!
You people have become morally bankrupt totally and absolutely living on the single agenda of Modi bashing.
Mr Yogendra you are more than 50 year old but I don’t think that till date you had held any responible administrative position or discharged any official responsibility. it is so very easy to criticize everybody rather for a cynic it is the simplest job to do.
we remember your unceremonial exit from the Kejriwal party which you fully deserve . So we don’t take your seriously and please stop wasting our time.
You are irrelevant.
Mr.Yadav the more u express your personal views highlighted as the national mood , the more citizens are convinced u are a shame and disgrace to our society and nation .
On Covid front Govt miserably failed. PM or Health minister just watch on the daily spike.
Current spread is due to :
– Double mutant Wuhan virus strains which spreads faster
Now come to the situation we are in it is due to following in Maharashtra –
– Night life (not so much Kumh as virus does not spread so much in open area) for vasooli
– Hoarding of life saving medicines for vasooli – Bruk incident (BMC procures one unit for 1600 and Bruk sold for Rs.1100)
– No control on social gathering weddings (rules were circumvented with no enforcement)
– Our attitude “I will do shit and government should take care of it” in other words lack of covid appropriate behaviour
– Unwarranted criticism on vaccine making initial vaccine drive slow. Check dosage no. 2 in dashboard Maharashtra is no. 3 because it delayed in start whereas Rajsthan, UP and Gujrath spearheaded vaccination drive. Maharashtra woke up now and your can see it no. 1 in dose 1 now.
– Oxygen: this issue needs to be seen why were blind sighted on this. This may have responsibility with Central
– Mandatory RT-PCR tests: it was most stupid to do at this stage, this could have been done in August- Novemember last year during unlockdown and would have been sensible
– Currently all containment zones are residential societies unlike in wave it were slums. These containement zones are hardly monitored unlike slums in v1. Poor people followed but rich screwed up and are screwing up.
There is a lot of responsibility with we as citizens to crumble our infrastructure due to inappropriate behaviour. States have not been alert to Central govt instructions to step up vigil
What else did you expect from Jhumka Master. This was an exercise to counter the heat that was being generated by the letter of Dr Manmohan Singhji and give false hopes to the electorate of Bengal
Dear Yadavji, You too are into politics . You’ll understand that talking of Covid at this juncture will be an indirect admission of guilt by the highest office. By not talking about it will allow the blame to quietly be directed to local state administrations. Rupani will be blamed in Gujarat ( in protected mode as the state also is a Modi model state), likewise other CMs including Maharashtra and Delhi etc will be targeted. A month later there will be news articles and media ranting on “India rejuvenation” “Rising India”. Then there will be Nirav Modi being brought back to India episodes on media channels. Then a prayer meeting at Ayodhya for Lord Ram temple where Modi with his Yogi look will preside over it. Then there will media rant on “This govt has delivered…” Gandhiji ( in the true sense for better motives understood the importance of symbolism, clothes etc with social messaging) and so does Modi. Sir the sad part is in this whole manufactured consent mode , people will forget that they lost their friend, father , mother’s, brother, neighbour, to govt inaction , lack of oxygen logistics, mixed and confused messaging , availability of remdesivir of whether to wear or take off masks etc. Lord Ram, Ayodhya (Also my hero because of his humility) will gain precedent and the rest of the mayhem will be forgotten. Ram Nam Satya Hai! As a country we have to break this bubble and silos politicians have dragged us into. Real issues like how much extra did each state add to their preceding health budget after the 2020 pandemic . Peanuts. In the end Lord Ram wants us citizens to course correct , because health education Jobs are issues that affect us. We need a force to divert this perception theatrics towards these issues. Social Media is a neutral tool . Use it .Scale it. Make this louder . We can’t remain in the dark. Cause Democracy Dies In Darkness
Dear Sir, What are state governments supposed to do? Just keep collecting haftas through Police? Wake up bro…………
According to me whatever written above about prime ministers short speech doesn’t make complete sense. We the citizens of India are behaving as most irresponsible citizens, careless and negligent. 50 to 60% of our population are not following the norms set set for people to follow to keep away covid.
How do you expect the prime minister the administering government to keep a control on all these aspects which man go beyond a limit. Don’t we citizens have any responsibility to help the government machinery and the doctors in the forefront to keep a control at all.
I think you and other people should stop blaming Only the government and the prime minister in person and please accept the personal responsibilities and also so we request all other friends of yours and the public at large to act responsibly.
The other day I saw clip on WhatsApp where to educated people were fighting the police personals who stopped them for not wearing masks.
When educated people themselves behave so irresponsible how can we expect the other uneducated people.
35 lakh people where are the Kumbh Mela is this logical at this juncture,
I might surely agree that government should have postponed the election formalities so that there could be some control on the gatherings to hear the addresses.
Our PM is not saying much because he is one who is allowing people to break all the norms..In West Bengal he and his party participated in numerous rallies with lakhs of people who didn’t even bother to wear mask let alone maintain social distance which isnot impossible actually.. So blame the citizens all you want but I guess Mr. Modi is showing the way..
Why is the PM not responsible ?
Why did he hold the elections in Bengal over 8 phases. He attended a rally without mask and admired the crowd of his supporters stretching as far as eye can see. He was admiring himself for his crowd pulling power. This was on a day when the number of infections rose above 2 lakh for the third consecutive day.
Most of these supporters would have been bought with money to attend the rally.
Why did the govt. put out 25 trains to bring people to Kumbh ?
When the head of the sadhus said no one had authority to decide on curtailing Kumbh except himself, why did the PM not challenge it ?
For a person who advertised himself as a Hindu strongman who was going to save Hindus, now is not the time to plead ‘ what can I do, it is your fault’. He had asked in a previous election rally why should Hindus not have more crematoria when Muslims ask for graveyards. Now is the time to provide the crematoria.
As for the argument, the public is to blame, we can extend that and say the public was stupid to elect Modi, so they deserve what they get.
Mr Akash: When Mohammad Akhlaq (RIP) was lynched by a BJP mob in 2015, PM Modi chose to remain silent. Eventually, when the pressure to say something mounted, Modi offered a limp
“It is a sad event but why blame the Centre for this?”
But Modi has since understood that, slick marketing of his image, gagging the media and delivering hate speeches against Muslims and Christians not only gets him the Hindu vote, it also buys him protection from criticisms. Or probes into his own dismal performance. Thus, after demonetisation, bhakths let Modi off the hook by arguing that the Führer’s intentions were good, but execution by banks and the people was to blame for the fiasco. Demonetisation crushed the informal sector of the economy. Yet, nobody punished Modi for having taken a wrecking ball to the lives and livelihoods of India’s enormous informal sector where 90% of Indian work.
Similar forces are at work now as well as the many comments deflecting blame away from Führer Modi show.
Whilst Godhra in 2002 was an intentional pogrom orchestrated by CM Modi and the BJP/RSS combine, the Covid crisis of 2021 is an unintentional pogrom. PM Modi is flailing and is completely at sea when it comes to tackling this complex challenge. Yet, he knows that he can get away with murder thanks to his image management firm APCO Worldwide and a loyal army of bhakths.
As the English politician Baron Acton (1834-1902) said:
“Remember, where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that”
Ha!! Ha!! Pakistan’s Islamic Terrorist-an was made by Modi too!! Even Bin laden was made by Modi!!
Kili, you are right that Modi got away with the demonetisation fiasco (I say it was not a mistake, it was wickedness), and indifferent treatment of migrant workers etc.. The poor do not have much expectations and are used to suffering as their lot, and they are unable to hold Modi to account. They are too busy with eking out a living, and they are too afraid. Modi could get away with lynching minorities as Hindus look the other way and feel it happens to someone else. He could ignore liberals because they cannot raise mobs like he can. The outside world gave the benefit of the doubt between 2014-2016, thinking as PM, Modi will become responsible (but we know leopards cannot change their spots.). The west had hopes for India as it is a big market with a growing economy. They kind of hoped it could be an alternative to China. However with the shrunken economy, they realise India is not an investment destination. The large population is there, but its purchasing power has shrunk. Covid waves 1 and 2 have ended whatever potential India had as an economy . Boris Johnson was still hopeful but that is a reflection of Britain’s compulsionfor trade partners, and wishful thinking after Brexit. India has nothing to offer the UK, the only thing India will demand is more visas. India’s democratic pillar is eroded as it wants to be like Myanamar, so Quad is as hollow as BRICS. All this is in the influential liberal western press, so they are aware. With the mishandling of Covid wave 2, the western press while having sympathy for the plight of people is clear Modi’s style of governance is at fault. All the articles point to his boasting and say India is paying the price for it.
On whether the Indian public will continue believing in Modi, that remains to be seen. The minorities do not need to be told of Modi’s incompetence. They understand it. Among the Hindus, there are people who do not understand and have gone along, and there is an ardent base, who have endorsed wickedness and will defend it come what may. However, as Yogendra Yadav says, Modi might have been able to sell Balakot and Galwan as victories over Pak and China, because no one has the evidence. But he will not be able to sell Covid handling as a success, as people have seen hospitals and crematoria.
I think people like you who can write well should put out the message the Covid fiasco is not only the failure of Modi, but of Hindutva. In the final analysis, Modi is only one leader of Hindutva, and the real problem is the Hindutva ideology that has brought India to this state. The Hindutva ideology has led to polarisation (between parties, between states and between communities), it has bred mob violence and vigilante culture, it has promoted the use of communal violence as a tool to gain power, it has encouraged crony capitalism, it has promoted the incompetent for loyalty, it has purchased media to stifle criticism, it has employed social media for fake news, and it has promoted anti-science superstitions and quackery. Fascism is based on the belief violence and murder in the ‘national interest’ are necessary and acceptable. Many go along as they see the country was going to the dogs and this is the saviour. But eventually even the pretence of national interest is lost, and the violence becomes just a tool for power for a megalomaniac.
Hence, do not despair if the masses follow megalomaniacs for a time. Reality will force a correction. It is your role to explain that Hindutva ideology is the ROOT cause for the mess up with Covid handling. Indians will have to get together to tackle not only Covid but the Hindutva virus as well.
Really to why extent would it help, don’t the health workers follow this norms compulsory ily and even after being vaccinated are infected.
The norms doesn’t matter much,
And even if it is this was not maintained during election campaigns of the bjp . And now at this crucial moment the centre became a total saint by cancelling one of its last rallies
@ANIL GUDI: What is even more discerting that this Chinese paid social activists say their BS ONLY in India!! Let them try their crap in China and we will see if they live another day!!
How many hospitals were opened by Kejrudin in Delhi that this idiot supported?? How many oxygen factories were opened in Maharashtra by Sonia Antonio-NCP’s Pakistani Sena??
Mr Anil Gudi: In a spectacular display of Modi worship, you pontificate:
“.. I think you and other people should stop blaming Only the government and the prime minister in person and please accept the personal responsibilities ..”
Admittedly, people have to get their act together and do their best to adhere to safety standards such as social distancing, using masks, getting themselves tested etc. etc. But, this being India where the populace is not exactly very highly educated – the PM himself being one such person – it is incumbent upon leaders to set an example to the populace. More so given the fact that Indian voters tend to see their politicians as cult leaders to be worshipped as demi-gods. But rather than leading by example, Führer Modi used the COVID crisis as a wonderful opportunity for self-aggrandizement, the health of the people be damned. Thus, after the first pogrom orchestrated by Modi in 2002, we now see a second unintended but de facto pogrom, again with Modi at the helm.
But what is truly unfathomable is that people like you do not hold elected leaders responsible for their incompetence. Indeed, your ilk is a curse on democracy.
As English novelist & essayist George Orwell (1903-50) said:
“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves and traitors are not victims, but accomplices”
The most HYPOCRITICAL author keeps up his ranting against the Most Popular PM….Yogendra Yadav changes his stand faster than a chameleon changes its colors….In 2018, he wanted Middlemen to be sidelined and farmers to get increased and direct payments….and is now backing the middlemen against the Farm.laws…..such is his HYPOCRISY!!!
Well said Mr Kamat. This type of most intelligent people feel so happy when they see something bad happening with all of us or collectively to we all Indians.
I don’t see any logic in his long baseless article rather than renting his anger n frustration against all of us n indeed against most popular respected PM. Purely a piece of toilet paper. The Print should not allowed anyone to do personal politics in the name of Journalism.
SS Kamat: Popularity is not the yardstick to go by, but how that popularity is used. After all, even that charlatan, former minister and master embezzler A. Raja is popular and has been re-elected. And Modi’s popularity is primarily derived from the anti-Muslim pogroms he orchestrated in 2002 and some slick marketing through firms like APCO Worldwide. And then, don’t forget that your popular pogromwala was banned in most of Western Europe and the USA.
Unfathomable how blinkered, blind bhakths like you let elected officials off the hook for their acts of omission and commission.
@S S Kamat: BJP & PM Modi have done a good job even during this pandemic!! They are doing the best they can!! If this was congress or Nehru’s rule then they will be dividein Hindus on castes or giving more rights to Muslim bodies like waqf board which already can claim any private property as their own & slaughter Hindus at will!!
The whole world including hateful & exclusive political ideologies called Xtianity & Islam or foreign supremacist powers like China/USA are after Hindus, India & of course BJP!!
What do we have State governments in this country. The PM is not responsible for oxygen and Remdesavir. The State Health Ministers in coordination with the CM should arrange for Oxygen. What is the State Governments sit on their chairs and at the last minute cry for stocks. Is this the way stocks are planned. Where is the plan for 6 months, 9 months and for the year ??
Criticism of Yogendra Yadav is valid. But this cannot be defence of Narendra Modi. You cannot say that the PM or the Central Government is not responsible for scarcity of Oxygen and medicines. It took 8 months after the pandemic started for a directive to increase the number of oxygen processing plants to turn into tenders. As a consequence only 33 of the planned 162 Oxygen Processing Plants have been started. High ambitions are fine but they must be accompanied by timely implementation. Similar laxity is observed in implementation of vaccination plan, if the government had any plan at all. If it had the salient features of the same have never been spelt out. The health minister of the country had the effrontery and temerity to declare that vaccination will not be available to all but only to those who need it. Now, the government has woken up and planning to scale up vaccination manufacturing capacity. This should have been planned in 2020 itself. Mere sloganeering and event management will not yield results. The government has to wake up and improve its functioning. This is a ‘Once-in-a- lifetime’ challenge. If our leadership fails, they may still win elections; but history will not be kind in evaluating them. So, wake up Narendra Modi. Your bhakts and IT Cell will be not of much use if the pandemic is not contained expeditiously.
hi Yogendra , you are desperate intellegent who lost all sense
Public has no regards for the views of urban naxals and traitors…
Mr. Yogendra Yadav, now you are asking all this about issues, which are most vital to the health of the nation. All this while you diverted the attention of the nation to the most futile and worthless subject – Agri bills which are no longer in vogue and the government had already agreed to suspend the implementation of those bills. But still your pride made to you to continue the agitation and you wrote long articles. Why didn’t you write on this issue in the past? Why you didn’t enquire from the government about our preparedness to manufacture and about its plan to vaccinate more than a billion of Indians? The government is undoubtedly guilty of negligence but you are guilty as well for not your doing your role of analyzing what is vital and instead on focusing which was essentially political in nature.
You are blinded by the hatred towards Modi. How many Oxygen plants you have established. You are bashing business men. You don’t want anyone to flourish. You are writing for other country’s support.
You are a disgusting media house. Yogendra Yadav who did nothing for country in this pandemic than criticising the person who did everything to control it. Shame on THE PRINT whose authors are like this who always find negative everywhere and Have no credibility in the common man.
During this pandemic yogendra yadav is planning for another morcha with andolanjivi..shame on you Yogendra yadav.. you do dirty politics everytime and people of India always hit you badly.. grow up and stop your mockery..
Dear for everything you r blaming Modi.First stop this and change your attitude.
It is the people who should be careful, Govt cannot do everything.
Just ask people to remain indoors and leave the rest to HIM
What about kumbh mola n bangal rallies modi can make concrete plan rather than making rallies arrangements ..and where is Shah?
English…English and more english. Post commentaries by people on what Modi talks or Uddhav Thakrey talks or what Kejriwal talks are just questioning in exquisite English. However, the world knows Corona has come to stay. People are free to demand answers, but there is none to question them. When we started the new year as if everything was back to normal, when we started rushing to hill stations to party on weekends, when we started crowding at stores and vegetable markets, when we started spitting on roads while walking and driving; where was the concern? The public needs a serious scolding, which no political leader can give. Newspapers need to do this, journalists need to do this to make people aware. If police scold or fine people for such acts, the media needs to stop harassing the police for the act.
Political leadership and goverment can at the most provide money. Facilities are after all products, manufactured by industries. The procedures to procure the products are in place, else tomorrow some stupid RaGa or Sanjay Raut or some BJP leader will start crying foul over improper procurement and biased procurements.
Let’s stop blaming and let’s reform bottom up. How about starting a chain to promote “no spitting in India” to begin with.
Yadav ji, you are useless man.
Bullshit comments from a no good loser in a media channel that claims to be “unbiased” and “non hyphenated “
Disclaimer: In times of pandemic appropriate authorities (CEC, Parliament, administration, religious heads etc…) should have taken appropriate actions at appropriate times to avoid crowding at events like the Kumbh Mela and Poll rallies etc. Let there be no doubts about this that large congregations become super spreaders.
The question is are some of us addressing the real problem?
Some points, to put matters in perspective, possibly overlooked by activists, media, opinion writers etc.. in their enthusiasm to cover the Pandemic
1. India is a Nation with a population of 13664 lakhs; Kerala has 346 lakhs; Israel has 99.5 lakhs; USA 3282 lakhs (all 2019 figures given here only for comparison). Per capita GDP (IMF data), Israel $47602; USA $68319; India $2191.
2. The inoculation to fight COVID started on 01 March, 2021. It could not have been earlier because of the lengthy procedures for acceptance of any vaccine. Even 01 Mar was made possible because of expediting certain procedures and SII manufacturing at risk some quantities in advance. Whatever the “effectiveness” of the vaccines kicks in 45 days after the second dose which is taken 4-8 weeks after the first dose. The vaccines cannot not have been effective before May 15 for anybody in India. The second wave is already nearing its peak (hopefully) in end April.
3. The Kumbh was in Uttarakhand and the Rallies in poll bound states. But the second wave had already kicked in, in states like Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab, (possibly the waves never ceased in these two states), Gujarat, Karnataka, Delhi, etc… which are neither poll bound or have very little direct connection with Kumbh. It may also be noted that there were no steep spikes in TN, Assam and Kerala soon after the polls there. If WB is reporting steep rise in cases we may have to look at people behaviour there, which is my next point.
4. WE the people of India have been slack in appropriate COVID behavior. I have seldom seen my go to media channels, newspapers and my favorite activists repeatedly exhorting me to follow appropriate COVID behaviour. They have always been telling me that the Governments are responsible for all the ills in the society always and every time. That has liberated me and made me complacent. I often wonder whether I have any responsibility towards Nation building and the society. This pandemic, however, has shown me that we the people have a responsibility towards the society, though the media and activists still do not think so.
5. This is a pandemic, NOT an epidemic or seasonal flu. WE the people, media, activists have a responsibility to NOT to allow the pandemic to create a pandemonium (meaning chaos, mayhem, bedlam, uproar etc). Creating pandemonium among 13664 lakhs of people will worsen the situation and will only help the pandemic.
Tailpiece: Do not expect a MESSAIAH or a “Rambahn” to redeem the situation in a jiffy. Exploiting the situation for personal advancement (against a stated personal ”enemy”) and finger pointing, for ends other than to fight the pandemic, is NOT going to help the Nation in the war against the pandemic. Let us join the people’s initiative (already underway in many places) to fight this pandemic. I request the media and the “activists” to help in this process.
Col Saheb is very right in his detailed well thought opinion. Hope Mr Yadav and the media propagating his agenda understand this and follow Col Saheb’s sincere advise.
Colonel sahib, I get the feeling you are somehow eager to pin the blame on the people – to exonerate Modi and his govt. from the charge of negligence.
As a military man, you should know that a general is supposed to lead, inspire confidence and give direction to the army, and the nation. He cannot say ‘my army was not doing what it was supposed to do, what can I do’. When the Nazi army was on the gates of Moscow after the Red Army’s initial collapse, Stalin was on the verge of evacuating his govt.from Moscow to the east. He consulted his most capable general, Zhukov, and asked whether Moscow could be defended. Zhukov gave the assurance he could defend Moscow and laid out his plan, Stalin made the decision to stay in Moscow. Had he evacuated, it would have spread panic. Initially, the rumours of evacuation caused panic and rioting in Moscow by the public. Zhukov went on to defend Moscow, and eventually the Red Army pushed out the Nazi army from Moscow. Later Zhukov organised the breakout from the siege of Stalingrad and trapped the German Sixth Army. Field Marshall Zhukov went onto capture Berlin and is considered the greatest general in the history of war. If he had taken the line, the army is not capable and people are to blame, the Soviet Union would have lost the war. At times like this, a leader steps forward and shows the direction.
From the military analogy, you should be able to understand Modi has not shown leadership. He has not consulted the experts : epidemologists, vaccine experts etc. and planned, as he plans and plots his electroal victory. He has relied on Hindutva sycophants and Hindutva quacks, and concentrated on his personal vain glory. Indeed, he has shown negligence. On the third consecutive day of cases topping 2 lakh, he held a rally and admired the extent of the adulating crowd who had come for darshan of the new Tagore. It is almost certain, much of this crowd is paid attendants. Who is responsible for spending money on buying crowds for rallies ? That money should have been spent on planning health infra structure. Who spent 6000 crores on a Patel statue ?
The failure we see is not just Modi, it is the Hindutva ideology that Advani brought to the fore and which Modi rid. With that ideology (besides the minority hate) came an anti-scientific culture. Some BJP Minister had said cows exhale oxygen. In UP, the cows are living better than humans, then why is there an oxygen shortage in UP ? Modi had said in an election campaign that Muslims were getting preference for graveyards and the Hindus’ need for crematoria was being neglected. In Gujarat, a crematorium melted. So why does not Modi provide the crematoria ? That question is bound to be asked.
Who laid 25 trains for the Kumbh ? When Modi weakly appealed to make the Kumbh symbolic, the leader of the Sadhus said no one had the authority to curtail the Kumbh. Holymen have been given power beyond their wildest dream. Who gave them that authority ? The Hindu Mahasabha leader yesterday held a gomutra party to fight Covid.
Yes, people are irresponsible for taking part in mass gatherings. But who fostered this culture ? Previous governments never encouraged lawlessness under the cover of religion.
And finally if people are at fault – the same logic can be applied and the people should be blamed for electing an uneducated chai wallah with a murderous record. We got the govt. and ‘leader’ the public deserved. The public should suffer in silence.
As for your tailpiece, you need to go beyond that. It is not possible for the Modi govt. to unite people, as their power has been through polarisation. Right from the start of Covid, we saw with the targeting of Muslims that the govt. has no concept of unity. Finger pointing at the govt. and Hindutva is a must because you cannot give incompetents infinite time. That should be the people’s initiative. The nation needs saving from Covid and Hindutva ideology – the two are linked.
Most sensible post ever
All modi bhakts are gathering and defending their supreme leader in the comments section they forget that home minister and central government have many acts through which they overide state powers during these pandemic times and home minister and pm should have kicked in much longer and assure avaibility of oxygen etc don’t forget most states are ruled by them but Amit bhai is busy in bengal elections rallying for pm bhai and whoever is talking about rallies see the graph of poll bound states inybengal they have gone young 1500 per cent this is the gift of our supreme leader
Colonel sir, I just wanted to thank you for your service. We are incredibly proud of our professional armed forces.
He is thick skinned and a great actor and liar,,he can never change nor take blame but will blame others and thus are his blind bhakts ,who till now may or may not have experienced loss of their loved ones to Covid19,and are they yelling after Modi or still consider him s hero,,,no more but just a ZERO
Author , a permanent master twister, has no positive suggestions and he does only a podt mortem.
Icchadhaari protestor. Stop the nautanki on delhi borders first and then speak about PM Modi. You are not even worth his footwear.
We can definitely agree on covid mis management. PM and chief ministers should share the blame. Now yogendra says PM lies .. yogendra is lying too when he says china occupied our land. Ajay shukla defence analyst a hard critic of modi govt agreed we
Did not lose land. So yogendra has to really get treated
Look who is talking ? An escapist who was in the system and ran away from it since he wasnt able to handle anything himself .
A perosn found in every dharna and speaks volumes without any proof of anything . Sorry dear , but that seems to bread and butter and in India that is one of the right to earn
Around Jan 21 , Yogendra Yadav’s main concern was showboating in Farmer’s protest , the same period he is accusing modi government of mishandling corona pandemic. And now he is doing preaching another.
What is not a PR for him??
And please” The Print” rather calling it his personal views and not even editing little bit his comments.
Atleast try coming up with government’s side of story too rather than your bloody ideology
I left my views just sometime back without realizing that you are the president of a political party. I was amazed to see that although you are a 6 year old party but you failed miserably in elections, not even a single seat. If you dwell is such negativity, who will follow you. So you were mind farting to gain political points. No doubt you were so frustrated and depressed. It was jealousy more than a critical analysis. You are an anarchist aren’t you?? You will join any anti-governemnt rallies as long as it serves your political interest. Such a shame. I wasted time going though your article and sad it is that you wrote in this non-hyphenated journal. Just read an article from Indian Express on India’s poor ranking in freedom of press. But how wrong they are, you criticized the government in the worst possible way but you will still get away with it. You were with Arvind right? Hmmm, see how far he reached and where you are. My apologies, I am not competent authority to compare the two of you. Stop being jealous about others and be creative with your life. Maybe, politics isn’t your cup of tea and so is Journalism. On a side note, I think I saw your picture with the agitating farmers with no mask and no social distancing. The photo is a bit old but Covid was still at large then. With this I rest my case. Jai bharat and JAI SHREE RAM.
Well said.
BJP took more than 30 years to win first MP seat. Winning election takes time and also it is not the criteria to judge someone.
Excellent riposte Mr Mohammad ! And winning elections is certainly no yardstick – especially when you do not control the EVMs and the EC !
But for bhakths like Mr Gautam Rabha, facts and the performance of elected leaders do not matter. At least as long as they thrash and lynch innocent Muslims and proclaim themselves as protectors of the Hindu majority. Hindutva has replaced Hinduism and there is no shortage of idiots in India who can’t tell the difference.
Very nicely written by you about this anarchist yadav. He deserves to be behind bars. Actually, Anda cell along with his friends from the print.
Mr. Yogendra Yadav, you wrote in the Print yet you completely ignored what Shekhar Gupta shared in cut the clutter on this second wave. If you would have, probably you would have reserved a few of your comments for later. Yes, the government could have been well prepared to deal with second wave. It is no rocket science based on the experiences of other nations. However, the bitter truth is that it is the laxity of the people that has brought this misfortune. I went to shop for essentials and I had to urge the shopkeeper to wear a mask. The excuse for not wearing was a feeling of suffocation in the mask. It pains me to see how foolishly our fellow men went to procure liquor before lockdown. I am sure you must have seen those pictures where all covid norms were broken. All those that left us or are suffering is end result of such negligence. Unfortunately, it will be inhumane to share such words with any bereaved family. How many cases does WB have and is it because of the rallies alone??? Can you share a count and share your source for the count? I am sure you were trying to be the ignorant stereotype and your constipated thinking is evident of your hollow thought process and hatred towards a successful PM. WE HAVE MADE IT A HABIT TO TEAR THE SOFT UNDER BELLY OF THE GOVERNMENT FOR OUR OWN PERSONAL AND SOCIAL FAILURES. The PM need not come on television to show progress card, people are not stupid to see the ground reality. If fact we feel it every day. Apart from your so called darbari media, there are other social media and news platform to see the real picture. To battle with Covid, every individual, state and NGOs must work together, irrespective of their age. The state cannot battle alone, in fact it is the collective effort of people of the state that determines the outcome. This is how countries like New Zealand, Israel, etc. tackle in situations like this and look at their success. In your entire column, I failed to find a single positivity and suggestions for a resolution. What would you have done if you were the PM? Just like you are doing nothing now, you would have done the same. Glad that you are not governing this country, we would have been in hopeless situation. If you are truly a president of any organization, you would request your members to step out and help the needy rather than be a cry baby. Always remember, if you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem. Criticism should always be constructive. You must be going though a lot of depression and you definitely need help. Good luck and stay safe. Jai Bharat!!
Brilliantly summarized. Couldn’t have put it better.
Also there are places where there’s no test kit to tell that’s its covid or not as a result people are dying as hospital refuses to treat them or provide any assistance as they are not assured .
This parasite, Yogender Yadav, is of no good to the nation anyways. But now that he is an official dalal of foreign funded false news portal, the print, he can be utilised best for what he is good at. The Print and its news reporters/authors need an urgent dose of Truth serum at the hands of general public or else postmortem would be the only way to find its source of fake news which is always full of ….
Moron
Dude you have nerves of steel to write against modi gov but i think the main cause of this crap gov staying in power is not because of andh bhakts but because of the way ruling gov has terrorised and scared majority with hindu muslim drama.
So much steel that he keeps jumping from Andolan to Andolan. Please get ready for the march of the rich farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Western UP to Delhi.
Stop criticizing Modiji for everything. Even in normal circumstances other than pandemic our health system cribs then what can Modiji alone do. Health system is built over years not in days or span of one year. Since when Modiji came to power life expectancy has started to increase in India else we were worst in World. Cant be blame ourselves for this pandemic disaster. No masking, no santizier no social distancing but just blame Modi ji. It’s really saddening to read such articles. It s high time wake up India and realise our own mistake. Just few months time things will be fine and then we need leader like NAMO. Follow covid protocols still things can be saved instead of blaming. I have never seen any one taking such quick steps ,in increasing manufacturing of vaccines, even when people criticized covaxin, he was the one who took the dose. It’s our time now to follow covid appropriate behavior. I know till Modiji is there we willbeat this pandemic and emerg victorious. Jai Hind
Why are you so bitter ? Everyone is overwhelmed.
Everytime I read your paper it’s just criticism. While it is many faced and a grave problem, expecting just one man to solve it is not fair.
What would you do if you were a P.M.?
Lockdown the public and shut the economy?And how long? Because I don’t see anyone caring about a mask. People still believe its a rumor.
Or will you build hospitals overnight? Build beds? Or far† oxygen?
India literally had over a year to prepare, what we did? Nothing!
‘Or will you build hospitals overnight? Build beds? Or far† oxygen?’
China built a hospital in 13 days.
A BJP minister declared sometime ago the cow exhales oxygen. UP has a lot of cows, why is there oxygen shortage then ?
These were exactly the questions I wanted to ask. It is very easy to get wisdom in hindsight!
I am waiting for Modi’s useless pet (IT cell arses) comments. Which always have the same tone and written without even reading the article.
Those comments somehow always bring smile on my face.
Please IT cell reply to my comment too.
Please Troll me.
I am getting bored.
PM who is always in election or event mode – present crisis was like question out of syllabus or course. Be it PM or BJP – aim is only winning the election not good governance.
Says a guy who was having a corona party just last month at the Farm protests. Reminds me of my today’s experience where this guy sitting a shop was smoking a cigarette (It’s illegal in my state and I saw someone doing it after decades, from his language I could judge he was from neighboring state), he was blaming govt. for Covid failure while rest of the 5 guys agreed with him, none had any mask and outside the shop I could see – “No Mask, No Service”.
I love my great India and it’s hypocrite intellectuals!
I think earlier the Print was advocating that CM’s should handle all Covid in their states. Cooperative Federalism, for the pseudos, you know. Why this sudden U- Turn blaming PM Modi now???!!!!?? Because the CM’s have failed miserably and so all want to put the blame on PM Modi!!!!!
Excellent article by YoYa. It clearly shows that PR matters everything to Modi. Dhruv Rathee’s new video is an eerie reminder of the true nature of our supreme leader. I dunno where in the dreamland Modi supporters are. Keeping putting your head in a ditch, and when you are suffering don’t complain again.
Mr. Pm Modi
Jada bill gates ke pairo me gir Kar Mere Bharat desh ko barbad Karne ki koshish na kare. Itna paisa kha Kar Kaha leker Jane wale hai. New world order ke naam per logo ko mar rahe ho.. Corona virus ko isolate to karo phir bad me virus ki Vaccine banana..
Resign de do tum
go doe
Nonsense article. Do some homework before writing such articles.
Thank you for calling a spade a spade. Thank you for this courage to speak out the truth. May God be with you always and protect you from sickness and especially the goons who are controlling our nation.
Does he not require protection from the middlemen who are funding the agitation of the rich farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Western UP? With direct bank transfer to the account of the farmers, these middlemen will be in fix. They will take their anger against the self appointed farm leaders like Shri Yogendra Yadav, who promised them repeal of the farm laws.
The only option India has for PM is Modi. Better among the worse.
He has nothing to give except empty promises
Looking to grave situation in our country in pandemic time, old Powerful Politicians in Current governance needs to resign & young politicians be given reign of country who can definitely show far better results through their innovative senses.
Dear Yogender Yadav ji,
You are most welcome to thrash the government. But please don’t comment on ladakh and such critical issues, which are just a matter of public discussion and publicity for you and the political parties( be it any), it is a matter of pride, life and death for a few. So mind your journalism, politics etc to yourself. Otherwise most welcome to verify details
Yesterday, I have an observation over the news material.
But, I guess the roots aren’t best to deliver fruits.
‘It is one thing to lose territory to China in the far-flung Ladakh and yet convince the public that it was China that got a thrashing. It is quite another thing to convince that we have done our best in this pandemic to those who are running from hospital to hospital for a bed, trying to purchase medicines in the black market and watching the pyres lit outside a crematorium.’
That sums it up. The long suffering public put up with demonetisation, ATM queues and migrant workers walking back. The minorities put up with lynching and communal riots. Pulwama and the loss of land to China could be passed off as victories. But the public has seen the most distressing scenes in many cities – hospitals stacking bodies outside as the morgue has no space, anonymous bodies being unloaded from lorries onto blazing crematoriums whose blaze can be seen far off.
And worse is yet to come. Modi has not announced lockdown, but another is needed. There is no way the spread can be controlled with vaccines now. India has been put on the red list by the UK and Canada. The USA will follow. And the rest of the world will follow them.
I tell everyone. What you saw fail goes beyond Modi. It is the abject failure of Hindutva. This is the proof it does not work and we need to return to secular democracy and qualified people running the country instead of teaboys operating according to a failed 1930s ideology adapted from Hitler. The BJP, media and the public were partners in Hindutva and hence this debacle. Learn from it.
There are two more years of misery, thereafter there is no choice but Congress. And they will only succeed if they work to disband RSS and Hindutva.
Yes and until then (2024) all Indians need to hang on for dear life! Everyone is Rambharose now.
@Akash: You are a Pakistani/commie Bla bla!!
How could China enslave so called democracies & powers like USA/Europe as well as media in west & India that they are all silent on fixing Chinese responsibility for the Wuhan Virus disaster??!!
Data robbers & freedom manipulators like Google/youtube, FB, Twitter etc.. are silent!!
No hash tag on how Chinese Virus is killing Indians, Europeans & Americans alike!!
No hash tag on how Chinese are killing Muslims while Muslims are SILENT as dead PORK!!
Spot on, sir, as always. Thank you.
Wow ! How well you have desribed my thoughts in words. My thoughts since Balakot, And since the tragic coincidence of the departure of Sushma and Arun Jaitly.
Aren’t we overlooking the carelessness of Indian public during the whole time?? I mean government surely seems to provide a weak leadership presently but no government can thrive without We, the people of India.
if you are so concerned about COVID, you should NOT have asked farmers to protest, or end protest ASAP and go home. it’s just politics for votes, for you too.
Modi has not sprayed the virus on anybody.. if anybody had got afflicted by the disease.. it is absolutely the carelessness and fault of that anybody.. Leaders of opposition parties kicked out by the people for rampant corruption and their supporters severely castigate tyrannical Modi.. the ONLY politician wanting to WIN elections.. for brutally oppressing people by restricting their fundamental right to freedom in the name of lockdown.. and yet want him to bear responsibility for a situation arising out of the arrogance or callousness of that very people..
But we the people are not STUPID and WE STAND BY MODI.. AND WILL STAND WITH HIM AND MAKE HIM WIN AGAIN IN 2024..
Have a mental check up
I would like to request shekhar gupta again, please don’t allow failed politicians to masquerade as opinion makers here. It is a sacrilege against all principles of journalism.
Losing territory to China ? Such blatant lies are published in this toilet paper. I would draw the attention of the I&B ministry to take stringent action against such toilet papera which publish loads of rubbish everyday and divide communities, spread hatred.
Yogendra Yadav wants the country to burn so that perhaps hia long cherished dream of bringing back the corrupt and communal family might materialise. So Mr Yadav Modi ji is not obliged to answer anti nationals. You place is in hell. You can go and seek all answers you want. You will never succeed in your wicked mission of tearing this country apart. Modi will choke people like you, politically and financially and all Indians will support him with all their might.
Does it matter that Modi’s speech was “short”? In all probability these Indians would vote for him in the next election!
Your system is slow , it takes a lot of time for the comments to appear , also I really wish Mr. Yadav has the decency to take some proper criticism face on.
“”Success of vaccination should be counted not in numbers but as proportion of the population.””
I would truly agree with you Mr.Yadav if and only if the same standards were used for the rise in cases and the total infected, not as absolute but as percentage of population.
How about another article on the BKU who have refused to call off their farmers protest and are blocking oxygen tankers near the Singhu border ??
indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/stuck-at-singhu-border-delhi-police-helps-move-truck-carrying-oxygen-cylinders-to-hospital-7283040/lite/ So we were second to 10 crore doses, what about 11 and 12 crore, any thoughts on them Mr pathological obssesive liar Yadav ji ???
Speech by PM or anyone else cannot save people, we need action. With easing of age limit we need more Vaccine for those who will take first shot and others waiting for second as many have crossed time lag. Sadly PM has sought the help of Children (Bal Mitras) to advice elders not to go out without cause. I wish he made this advice before he began his election campaign so that they would advised him not to go out, but he can always claim he is coming out for the cause of party and power
I agree with most of the author”s views, only I am not so cynical about PM”s call to help the needy. But one thing I can tell – “the law of diminishing returns is beginning to set in” this is anything but the truth. The PR exercise by Modi is going to work, notwithstanding your scorn for him and his ideology. Much more is needed to convince people to oust him. And it is not coming from left wing scholars, BJP”s rise was after vanquishing their ideology.
Salim bhai aapko yaad hoga ki kisan aandolan main aapne bhi bahut bheer ikaktha ki thi. Ab aap sab subject expert ban hi gaye ho to ye bhi bata do ki kya karna chhiye.
Aap bhi sahbhagi hain is problem and Same with every Indian.
This article lacks substance. Just full of rants.
Recently China reported ten, twelve cases a day, all imported. A fierce adversary, which refuses to disengage in Ladakh. Vietnam, which is now a more realistic model for India to compete with, has had 2,800 cases, 35 deaths. Ever since the pandemic began, each diplomatic mission in Delhi would be plotting India’s response. No better way to size up the strengths and weaknesses of a friend or a foe.
Do we hear the ringing of some words in the distant past:
“Maut ka Saudagar”
Highly political & holier-than-thou opinion from a man who orchestrated some of the biggest super spreader events & continues to do so with impunity while having the gall to demand others mop up after him.
Aandolanjeevi Champagne socialist zholawallah is doing what he does best – unfounded criticism without providing any alternate solutions.
Who reads this guy’s drivel?
Jo karna h kar lo. We will always support PM modi.
Why you never write these about national brothers of you…..
Tumhe funding kaun deta h… bada is vahiyat likte ho india k baare me
Do we expect logic from roll back Expert. Please calculate the alleged amount of money by successive rulers and brokers (who were no friends and supporters of MP Modi) since the independence, before talking about the shortages of medicines and O2 which is a direct result of those thefts.
Can any expect Mr Yogendra Yadav to be honest. Does he not know Corona spreads through close contact and he instead of advising kisans not to gather has actually instigsted them this crowding the space and spreading Corona.
Will he accept his mistake or point out mistake of others
This guy has one agenda: to find fault with Modi. Period. So, with the wisdom of hindsight, goes on a diatribe, without talking about what HE has done
I like your optimism Mr Yadav, but I am afraid that our country has an almost never ending supply of people who are willing to suspend good sense and practical thinking and delude themselves into following the messiah! Well, now the crisis is here and as is usual with messiahs, he has washed his hands off and blamed everyone and everything else for our sorry plight but himself and his fat headed schemes. Still, as you will notice in other comments, he will find committed supporters who will ridicule you for raising pertinent questions. Such is the tragedy of our times!
Schemes ???!!!
Another piece of shit based on plethora of speculations. However I would accept it as another opinion, yo-yo is losing his credibility day by day.
Yogendra Yadav is a Psephologist. Let him concentrate on that. Instead of supporting PM Modi in this difficult times, he is playing games and Politics. Even supporting Farmers for a wrong cause. He also cheated Kejriwal. Even USA suffered in the first wave of COVID-19.
One thing is for sure, Mr. Yogendra Yadav. You sure can write some sh_it. Reporters like you deserve the credit of driving such a big nation’s blind and stupid people upto insanity. But for good or bad, India is now probably 80% for shitty people like you.
For sure there was a golden time of this country but not anymore. Reason, spineless people like you. You really deserve this country. Go destroy it to the maximum and make money out of it, just like what most politicians have done so far. Not one reporter have been found who has the spine to report the facts. And I understand upto certain point that you are selling too. And can’t sell something easily if it’s not spicy enough for people. But really, till what extent? Is there anything called moral or ethics left in you guys, anymore?