Covid-19 in India has once again exposed the incompetencies of political opposition as well as mainstream media in India. Although, from a superficial view, it does look like they raise genuine questions, but as soon as we dive a little deeper, we can clearly see how pointless those questions and concerns are.
More than half of the year has passed by in the shadow of lock-downs and some still continue with the same type of questions.
As an example you could look at the following tweets:
Or a more recent one, supporting the ask for NEET/JEE postponement in the light of corona:
A tweet from Mr. Gandhi is important because even though he isn’t the party president anymore and is just one of the many Members of Parliament in India, whatever he says becomes the strategy of his party. And I have absolutely no issues with this. I know it is tempting to pin the rising number of cases on the government especially when it is absolutely certain that the number of cases will continue rising, no matter what the government or anyone else does. But, does this help India in any way? Is it even a genuine concern to raise?
Few weeks ago I wrote an article Covid-19, Co-morbidity and the Undisclosed Data showing the reasons why numbers like these mean absolutely nothing. If the goal is to create chaos and panic, Mr. Gandhi could very well predict for the month of October and add a couple million or predict for the end of the year and say round about 10 million. I have written half a dozen articles on how different people, parties, governments, countries and corporates have used or rather exploited Covid-19 for their vested interests. I have placed the links at the end, please do visit them.
As a matter of fact, he and his party by making the increasing number of cases a hot topic, have scored a massive self goal.
They, by keeping a track on such numbers have forced the government to control a highly contagious virus that spreads like flu, and ended up legitimizing lock-downs.
If general elections were to happen today, BJP will win not only with a majority but with an absolute majority.
How does lock-down help BJP win election?
Before the general elections of 2019, Mr. Amit Shah would come on every other stage and say only one thing “We in the last five years have connected with at least 20-25 crore households in India, be it in the form of providing free gas connections (Ujjwala Yojna), or providing JanDhan accounts, or providing Mudra Loans, or building toilets or connecting far flung villages by road or any other such scheme”. The 22 crore votes that BJP received in the general election were a testimony to the fact that whatever Mr. Amit Shah claimed was not only on the papers but did reach the people on the ground.
Fast forward to May 2020, honorable finance minister Mrs. Niramala Sitharaman during her 5-day Atmnirbhar Bharat economic package announcements, announced something very very similar. Let me re-iterate some of them “we are helping eight crore people via the Ujjwala Yojana, providing direct benefits in the accounts of more than forty one crore JanDhan account holders, providing ration to more than sixty nine crore people, helping more than three crore farmers, so on and so forth”. You could have a look at Aatmnirbhar Bharat, special economic package and the response, to know why it is extremely important for you to watch those five press releases.
Will these benefits reach people on ground? From the past experience, yes they will. In fact the wire, published an article in June claiming that more than 73 crore people in April and more than 65 crore people in May received their benefits. Just to give a perspective to that number, the total number of registered voters in 2019 general elections was 900 million i.e. 90 crore. Now, you do the maths, even if 50% of the people who are reaping benefits sitting at home end up voting for BJP, it would still be ten crore more votes than its last vote count.
People who are making fun of Collateral free loans to MSME after the announcement should remember that recipient of “Mudra Loans” who received loans as small as fifty thousand only, repayed in kind by voting for BJP in 2019. A majority of the people in India don’t tweet or troll on internet, a majority of people who reap these benefits aren’t active on social media and this is the only reason why a lot of people who are highly active on social media did not see BJP coming back in the power with a majority. The chasm between the virtual world and the real world is getting deeper and wider. I would not be surprised at all if something in the real world turns out to be exactly opposite to what the virtual world suggests.
Also read: Why this Kolaveri Di?
Lock-down would have backfired if today’s government was as corrupt as that during Congress’ rule. The poor is receiving much more than what he received during Congress’ rule, he no more receives only fifteen rupees out of the hundred sent to him (I am not saying this Mr. Rajiv Gandhi said this). And this is one of the biggest reasons as to why Mr. Gandhi’s strategy of trying to milk the number cases is a blunder.
In fact, the government used lock-down as an opportunity to bring in reforms which would have been very difficult before March this year. If it were not for the lock down, you would have seen country wide protests when BJP introduced privatization in the space programs. If it were not for the lock down, you would have seen buses burning and blocked streets when BJP invited private companies to come up with 150+ passenger trains. When was the last time you saw instances of stone pelting? blocked streets? Country wide protests?
Its not that I am against the reforms, as a matter of fact, welcoming private companies in the space sector and encouraging them to come up with their own rockets is going to be a major reason why I will vote for BJP again. I will write a complete article how privatization in Space sector as well as Railways is going to catapult Make In India and Startup India to a fast track.
But having said that, the only problem with “lock-down” is that it takes the freedom away. It takes away the very basic fundamental right as given by the Article 19- 1(b) i.e. to assemble peaceably and without arms and 1(d) i.e. to move freely throughout the territory of India. It is an irony that people in India just a year ago were protesting in the name of freedom when there was absolutely no need (humko chaiye aazadi), but are dead silent now when there should at least be questions asked.
The fear makes it possible!! All, thanks to a constantly running death counter!!
Europeans especially Germans take life very seriously, to the extent that they wear helmets while riding bicycles. I have lived here for more than five years now, I can say that for sure, if lock-down was necessary, Germany would have had the most stringent lock-down. But quite strangely there hasn’t been one day when the transportation was halted, not a single day when the super markets were closed because of Corona. Yes, there were restrictions for discos and large public gatherings but no lock down. People are making vacations here, beaches are crowded but Indian opposition along with mainstream media is still keeping a track of numbers fostering fear. THIS HAS TO STOP OR ELSE THERE WOULD BE DIRE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE COUNTRY.
I just hope and pray to god that there is a day in my life time when India comes out of its Gandhi-Nehru family jinx. Somehow, the “family” never lets go of the party or may be other way around. It is high time when Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family part ways or else Congress Mukt Bharat is inevitable. They literally gave it on a sliver platter to the ruling party. Every year there are two peaks for viral fever, what makes you think people won’t test positive of corona next year? What makes you think Coronavirus lock-downs won’t happen in 2021 or 2022 or before any important election?
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Also read:
- All in the name of Coronavirus
- The unwarranted fear of Coronavirus!
- Reasons why Delhi is failing the coronavirus exam.
- Coronavirus isn’t a threat to humanity; China is!!!
- Covid-19, Co-morbidity and the Undisclosed Data
- Exploiting Indians studying abroad in the name of Covid-19
- Covid-19 Outbreak exposes prevailing Hinduphobia
