Modi as a poor manager of Coronavirus crisis

Radhakanta Barik

All doctors and experts agree to the point that one can protect himself or herself from Coronavirus by maintaining social distancing while one is out but avoid going to the crowd. For preventive measure one needs to go for hand wash then one does not understand the logic behind the action of our Prime Minister Modi for going for Lockdown of total nation. This has gone as a form of caricature in urban society as poor is out for doing some work for earning. Then it is a rich man's disease why blame the poor. These are obvious questions for Modi, or he wants to throw the poor out of the city boundary and this is a trick he uses while no public institution can act against him as all these institutions have been manipulated including the Judiciary. Hindutva is a form of racialism practiced in South Africa where the blacks were not allowed to stay in the inner city of the major towns before Independence. This is a form of racialism practiced by Moditva. This can be another explanation regarding the down slide of the economy for which his action specifically demonitisation gave a blow to the informal economy. Everybody knows that he and his party are responsible for the such a sorry state of affairs in Indian economy. Then he wants to use the issue of Coronavirus for making it worse but cannot be blamed as it happens to the civil servants in their career. On inquiry I find that the civil servants those are corrupt usually join the losing organisation and it is an easy task as plundering will be easier. He will do the same and then he can take an excuse that the economy is down and the impact of Coronavirus has added to it not his fault specifically his action related to Demonitisation. These questions come to my mind for such a drastic action by Modi in the case of Coronavirus. This could have been avoided by allowing people to work by closing the schools colleges and sports activities.

The way migrant labour protested against Modi's declaration of Lockdown shows that they have moral and physical strength to fight against such inhuman brutal regime of Modi Shah. There are two aesthetically designed paintings showing a lakh of people walking back to their villages with their small children on their shoulders and women carrying bags with some of their essentials. Another painting a family of six carrying bags and children on shoulders. Their hungry eyes show that they did not bow to the brutalities of police or the Hindutva bandwagon. They did not bother for their transport system provided by the government. They organised the everyday protest in their own imaginative way. This is an everyday form protest against the ruling class and their representatives the present Modi Shah. They did not bother about the false tears shed by the middle class sitting in front of the channels over their drinks and chicken and meat kabab. These classes have their moral strength to fight the oppressive and Hindutva forces where they join hands with each other without thinking of their religious identities and caste identities. Their walking for last five days and I salute them and their protesting approach against the present regime.

 Modi's management of coronavirus is a political move to create legitimacy for him in Indian politics despite Indian electronic media thinks he is the political personality who draws a huge crowd and he stands for the unity of the nation. No other politicians in the opposition can compete with him. The day election was held in Jharakhand and he lost the election despite by his usual anti-Muslim stunt that be aware of their dress. It did not work but his media managers advised him to hide his face in the Delhi Assembly election although he held one public meeting. He lost the election of Delhi. His close lieutenant Amit Shah created riots against the Muslims in Delhi, that backfired as everybody knows what is truth. The big economic failure and the melt down of Yes Bank because of his close friends have looted the bank and his failure on every front made him to think that of the politics of Coronavirus which can save him. This gave him a golden opportunity to make midnight announcement as he did in the case of Demonitisation. He messed up the management as there was no announcement regarding the safety network for the working people who are on the street but no train and no plane and everything is closed. Their anger by returning to the villages will create furor against Modi and the BJP as Bihar has the largest migrant population whose anger will be articulated in the coming assembly election just six months away. There is every chance he will advise the Election Commission to postpone the election but it looks as if he has already lost the election as it is difficult to manipulate the EVM during the state election more so in Bihar where people are very much aware. Bengal has gone out of hand as Mamata Banerjee's handling of crisis created because of Coronavirus is better. In both the states the BJP is losing which has made his media managers to revive his fortunes for at least for his friends who are Industrialists.

 If he wanted to take preventive measures which he could have taken one month prior to the present announcement at the airport management would have been sufficient but he wanted to behave as if a magician who could cure people who are affected the disease. Our generation lives with a cup of morning tea and a newspaper as TS Eliot defines middle class life as a series of tea cups. This has a special meaning as over tea we go on discussing various issues affecting the nation, state and localities. With the rise of the electronic media many of our friends shifted to these channels. With the rise of Modi as the Prime Minister we found to see an electronic channel is nauseating, many of our friends shifted to the newspapers. Although the quality of newspapers has declined progressively but still we look for a paper. But with Modi's Janata curfew he finds it convenient to stop publishing the newspapers and at least in some corners some reports regarding happenings around us which can pinch his conscience. With the clamp down over the print media the electronic media speaks only one two sentences of Modi's in every news. This has destroyed the information flow to an ordinary citizen like us who are confined to the four walls of a house. We feel suffocated without news and what is happening around us. As John Donne says no body is an island then one lives with others be workers, middle class or minorities by keeping informed about them. But today we are forced to live like Rabinson Crusoe and his longing for the world around us.

 All India Medical Science got established by the Parliamentary at of 1956 under Nehru as a teaching research and providing medical services to public. This institution became prominent public institution in India and people from South Asia came to have an access to these services. The high quality of services got insured with the professionalism of doctors and supporting staff without any payment of bribe which is a regular phenomenon in medical colleges of India at least UP, Bihar and Odisha. No doctor makes private practice and everybody maintains a high standard of professional ethics. JNU and AIMS had a close bond during 1970s when some of the leading Professors got married to JNU students. Furthermore, professional ethics of JNU and AIMS created a special bond which may be continuing now. There was a bus no 666 which strengthened the special bond between these two organizations. Furthermore it was decided by UPA government to start one AIMS in each state. This was a gift of Manmohan Singh and Azad as the health minister. It is interesting to note that there was an evaluation by IIPA on the state of affairs in various institutions. Their findings show that most of these institutions are not in a healthy state as proper funding has not been done by the Modi government and lack of quality of administration affected the construction of these public institutions. At least to confront the Coronavirus the present government must give proper attention to complete these institutions if not new one. Furthermore Dwaraka the sub city does not have a public hospital but one got built under Mrs Dixit but yet not complete. Kejriwal government must take a special interest to complete such an important institution which can provide health services to four lakhs of people living in Dwaraka.

Modi's real supporters are the supporters of Advani. In absence of Advani he is working as the Prime Minister. Advani's rathyatra brought these middle class upper caste supporters in the RK Puram created an image of Ram in a violent mood on the walls of their official residences targeting his arrows at an imaginary enemies. They all shifted to Dwaraka sub city without hospitals, public library or no theatre or any intellectual activities happen in the colony and today they follow the instructions given by Modi by taking help of the notebook. There are many beautiful parks with the flowering season but no soul is there. They are forced to go to the Milk Booth and Mother dairy for buying their essentials. They stand in a Queue maintaining a distance of one meter from each other putting a mask over their mouths. As my sister from Odisha says this is pralay when human being turns into cows with masks. She cited the sloka from the scripture. This is what happening in Delhi where educated Hindu upper caste is supporting Modi's ideas. Modi's appeal has helped them to reinvent their family. This is the ideas of Michael Oakeshott who is an important conservative thinker where family is the basis of right wing politics. This is helping Modi and Bhagvat who pleads for women going back to their inner house without any public jobs. But it is interesting to note here that according to the police reports one finds the crimes related to murder and theft have declined drastically but the quarrels among husband wife are reported more. This brings out truth that conservatism of the RSS will not work if they are not ready as violent conflicts are happening today within their households. But Modi's real support has further strengthened by bringing the middle class Hindu Upper caste to the forefront of his right wing politics.

Modi has a fascination for the political personality of Hitler. As the chief minister of Gujarat there was a chapter on Hitler in school text books. Today he is experimenting it on whole India. Last one week he succeeded to remove the protest in the city at Shaheen Bagh, the women protesters have been removed by Shah. Today there is no protest anywhere in the city of Delhi which he would enjoy it for coming twenty one days. This is illogical and irrational and impractical. It is going to be a police state where the local police will start collecting a hundred rupee note to allow to people to move out of their houses. Is it a prelude to declare emergency for a period of four years by which he would enjoy his life of luxuries where as poor will die of hunger of food and hunger for fun and hunger for work. In the end nobody will be there.

Two events of the city which I adopted as my place after Odisha is Delhi which gave me work, employment and income for survival. It is a big city with a big heart where nobody gets ignored here. Anybody coming from any part of India or world is interested to build their home here. It is a city with a high urban sensibility which allows your thinking to be fired upon and your imagination to flow out like the river water. Very little restriction over your imaginative and creative world and for enlarging one's world view the food stuff is available. The best universities, best libraries and best places where dialogues and discussions are organised on every day basis. Living here fifty years seeing the ups and downs of the urban space and creation of new cities after the original six cities and 7th city got constructed with the help of labour from UP and Bihar having a strong human bond that is North East Delhi over muddy soil of river bed of Yamuna got burnt by the RSS goonds some days back over which I felt emotionally disturbed, Official records tell that this place has never experienced communal riots after 1991. I have written three articles and searching for human spots in the inhuman world and want to interview them and reorganize my ideas on writing the fascist attack on common people specifically the Muslims but time is flying but unable to go as the Coronavirus has entered into my favorite city disturbed every body's routine. The second place for me which is built by the people themselves as known as illegal colony known as Shaheen Bagh but a well-designed city with a million of people which can be called eighth city located on bed of the river Yamuna but produced a militant movement of women against the attacks on Indian Constitution which is my favourite text as I teach political science and I wrote a book on Saffron Regime where I kept the chapter on the Preamble of Indian constitution which keep me engaged and people of Shaheen Bagh are having a dialogue with it by sitting on protest for a period of more than two months despite the attack on them by the fascist forces. But they continued without disruption but I had a meeting with them where they built a book stall where books on fascism by Stanley and Gandhi and Nehru and Azad and Ambedkar were available. They keep engaged with these people while keeping their pictures on the backdrop of their dais from where an ordinary woman speaks out and sing a song, I wanted to have a serious dialogue with those three elderly women who were leading the movement but somehow the Modi government has succeeded to displace them for time being in the name of Coronavirus . Both these cities and events have shaped my mental map for some time and raises a question regarding the future of a nation and civil society supporting their citizenship rights. the Coronavirus has entered into my favorite city disturbed every body's routine. The second place for me which is built by the people themselves as known as illegal colony known as Shaheen Bagh but a well-designed city with a million of people which can be called eighth city located on bed of the river Yamuna but produced a militant movement of women against the attacks on Indian Constitution which is my favourite text as I teach political science and I wrote a book on Saffron Regime where I kept the chapter on the Preamble of Indian constitution which keep me engaged and people of Shaheen Bagh are having a dialogue with it by sitting on protest for a period of more than two months despite the attack on them by the fascist forces. But they continued without disruption but I had a meeting with them where they built a book stall where books on fascism by Stanley and Gandhi and Nehru and Azad and Ambedkar were available. They keep engaged with these people while keeping their pictures on the backdrop of their dais from where an ordinary woman speaks out and sing a song, I wanted to have a serious dialogue with those three elderly women who were leading the movement but somehow the Modi government has succeeded to displace them for time being in the name of Coronavirus . Both these cities and events have shaped my mental map for some time and raise a question regarding the future of a nation and civil society supporting their citizenship rights.

There was no war for period of five years but Modi used to praise only the soldiers as the patriotic and nationalistic force. Any criticism of defense forces is being called anti national activity. Today people who are fighting against the Coronavirus are the doctors, nurses and paramedical forces, are they according to Modi nationalistic or patriotic? One doctor while serving these patients yesterday died of coronavirus in Srinagar. How to evaluate his sacrifices to nation? Yesterday the Indian cities turned into lockdown but the water supply, electricity supply and sweeping of the roads were maintained but no word of praise came from Modi but those who rang the bell in the evening are being called patriotic works by their party workers. It is a sad commentary on Modi's understanding of patriotism and nationalism. Modi's call for Janata Hartal on Sunday which has created fear in the minds of people of Delhi that there is a real threat of Coronavirus to the people of India. Nobody came out even children who plays cycling in the compound of our society yesterday did not come out. There are double fears as the RSS workers are active in the Housing societies they can create harm to people who would move out. Furthermore fear of Coronavirus and Modi and which become the basis of the silence of people on Sunday except the ringing the bell by these RSS workers standing on their balconies and beating the thalis but it is interesting to note that the RSS always get their work done with the help of police or some hired people. They themselves worked for just five minutes here. Modi gave a speech appealing for those having balconies to clap today between 5 to 7 PM. Modi reimagined himself as the monarch who is ruling over big empire where his aristocrats will stand in the balconies and clap in praise of him. Balcony is being used in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet where balcony stands for aristocracy. He has learnt without books. Romeo an aristocrat fell in love with Juliet a working woman. Indian aristocrats today upper middle class and middle class combined a high salary with rent from their houses have a full praise for the monarch Modi. It is going to start 5PM in the twilight of evening and end in darkness which works as similes in political theatre of India. Evening brings darkness which is engulfing the economy as predicted by his own former adviser Arobinda Subramanium that it will not cross beyond 2 percentages of growth before BC (before coronavirus) and after AC(after ) it will be negative. This is going to be disastrous as millions working in various sectors of economy will be unemployed. It seems that Modi's future is looking cloudy and stormy.

One of the Indian states suffered from Coronavirus that is Kerala which has effectively handled the health crisis. The basic precondition for handling the crisis with the help of the Public Health system which is in sound state. As Kerala has a large number of people working outside of the state and it is the major source for sending the highest foreign exchange to Indian exchequer. Kerala cannot avoid it As a book ' Kerala Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow ' written by EMS Namboodiripad shows that in 1908 they had one person out of 16 working outside of Kerala. It is because of education and anti caste movement. This strengthened political democracy which allowed people belonging to lower castes and communities to have freedom to work outside. Position of Kerala is peculiar to Indian economy. It is the first state which implemented land reforms which helped in empowerment of both men and women. In skilled and semi-skilled jobs such as carpentry, nursing both men and women move out for higher wage. They cannot avoid the disease like Coronavirus while they are coming to their home town. For a month they started suffering from this disease but they managed with the scientific propaganda regarding the powerful disease and creating a crisis management team of experts to handle such a crisis. They realised it that because of disease a large number of working people small shop keepers are losing their income. The restaurant boys are losing the jobs as the most of the restaurants are being closed. The government of Kerala made a political consensus by inviting the opposition parties to share the campaign. The government has announced the package of Rs 2000 crores for those who have lost their income. This needs to be replicated at the national level as Taxi drivers started crying two days back in Delhi after waiting whole day got a passenger to airport. This reflects the daily wagers are losing their income. For instance the closure of restaurants and hotels will affect 7. 5 Lakhs employees all over India who will be laid off because of the corona virus. PM Modi did speak to the nation but without any economic package for the working and middle class who are going to be badly affected. It seems that Kerala model needs to be replicated on all India level which is the responsibility of the Modi government.

 Modi has no legitimacy in Indian democratic politics? This is a million dollar question. The American Ad companies realised it for which they advise him and his party to reduce his exposure to public. This advice he took seriously and did appear before the public at the election time once in Delhi and three times in Jharkhand. This is tested ground as the democracy allows leaders to be tested during the election times. He has the backing of judiciary and bureaucracy and Army but a person without legitimacy cannot appeal to the public. He has appealed for Janata curfew which is going to fail. Once a political leader loses legitimacy then question comes when the end is going to come. This is where he can be compared with Mrs Indira Gandhi. After she lost the election in 1977 including her own seat to Janata Party and came back with a thumping victory in 1980. This happened to Jaya Lalithaa when she lost on corruption charges to DMK but came back with a thumping back majority. Both are personalities with a charismatic following and both had personal support around 35 percentages of voters. Mrs Indira Gandhi had 35 percentages of votes on all India level where as JayaLalithaa had 35 % in Tamilnadu. Modi does not have any such support base and his managers who hailed from America created a framework but he has lost the support at a faster pace. There are some regional leaders who have the strong support base one is Naveen Patnaik and another Mamata Banerjee. Jyoti Basu was having a strong charismatic personality. Perhaps the making of Rao in Telengana is going to be third person. Modi and Shah understand this political game so well that they know how to dislodge a government from power as they are having some expertise. The blow is going to come from the forthcoming election of Bengal and Bihar. Yes, Bihar had two political personalities one Lalu Yadav and another Nitish Kumar and the BJP is depending on Nitish Kumar to win the election in Bihar but Lalu Yadav will have a greater chance.

All doctors and experts agree to the point that one can protect himself or herself from Coronavirus by maintaining social distancing while one is out but avoid going to crowd. For preventive measure one needs to go for hand wash then one does not understand the logic behind the action of our Prime Minister Modi for going Lockdown of total nation. This has gone as a form of caricature in urban society as poor is out for doing some work for earning. Then it is a rich man's disease why blame the poor. These are obvious questions for Modi. Or he wants to throw the poor out of the city boundary and this is a trick he uses while no public institution can act against him as all these institutions have been manipulated including the Judiciary. Hindutva is a form of racialism practiced in South Africa where the blacks were not allowed to stay in the inner city of the major towns before Independence. This is a form of racialism practiced by Moditva. This can be another explanation regarding the down slide the economy for which his action specifically demonitisation gave a blow to the informal economy. Everybody knows that he and his party are responsible for the such a sorry state of affairs in Indian economy. Then he wants to use the issue of Coronavirus for making it worse but cannot be blamed as it happens to the civil servants in their career. On inquiry I find that the civil servants those are corrupt usually join the losing organisation and it is an easy task as plundering will be easier. He will do the same and then he can take an excuse that the economy is down and the impact of Coronavirus has added to it not his fault specifically his action related to Demonitisation. These questions come to my mind for such a drastic action by Modi in the case of Coronavirus. This could have been avoided by allowing people to work by closing the schools colleges and sports activities.

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Apr 2, 2020