Last year when Covid 19 wreaks havoc on the world, little did we know that worse is yet to come especially for India. As the country was moving forward overcoming the first wave of covid, the second wave barged the country, it was not unexpected as it was known the second wave will come, but the sheer magnitude of both the spreading power(R-0) and the amplitude took the nation by shock.
Hospitals were soon over flooded by patients and the demand for medical oxygen skyrocketed. The condition was deplorable with relatives of patients struggling to find beds in hospitals and if they even find a bed, then they had to struggle to get oxygen and other medical equipment. With a complete or partial lockdown underway, the only thing which breaks the silence was the crying and mourning of people who lost their loved ones. Undoubtedly, it was the moment of historic sorrow that the citizen of this nation which was aiming to become a vishva guru now had to wait in lines to get the body of their family members cremated.
The medical infrastructure was trembling by this pandemic. And at this moment when the only thing which will help us to overcome this nightmare is hope for a better tomorrow and cooperation at all levels. The dirty politics and the politicians who find their political mileage in this hour of emergency failed us.
The reason we overcome the first wave of Covid was the swift and stern decision of lockdown by PM and the people who follow it dutifully. If we see the example of Brazil’s president or European and American citizens, we will find the mature behavior of government and citizens that help us to stand against the Chinese virus.
Even the pandemic could not stop the blame game of politicians. Opposition leaders find the perfect opportunity to encircle the government. In this, they forget they also hold responsible positions in certain states, which too was crumbling in front of Covid.
Rahul Gandhi is the front runner of this unholy group, an MP and a leader of a party that has governments in several states is only playing politics in social media by attacking PM rather than landing on the field and checks the preparations of field level administration. One such counterpart of him was Akhilesh Yadav who branded the vaccines as BJP’s scam and jeopardizes the vaccine drive.
To question the government is the basic and most fundamental feature of democracy, but those questions should be based on reality and practical environment.
The trembling medical infrastructure could not have been ramped up in a short period. And the problem does not limit itself to the number of beds, it needs the medical staff including doctors and nurses which obviously could not have increased in one year.
And comparing with other nations, our country has more population than the combined population of the two most advanced continents- North America and Europe. And even they buckled against this pandemic.
Furthermore, the legacy the predecessors left for the current PM was not so great, remember the PM had got the population (not all) whom he had to tell the use of bathroom and to wash the hands afterward.
Moreover, if we consider the management, the best example popped out is the drought in Marathwada , when congress was in power their minister said that if there is no water how could he supply it, do we urinate in the reservoir. The same situation arises in the BJP government which supplied water through tanks from the Chambal River by trains.
Furthermore, India being a federal country has given the power to both Central and state governments. But as evidence suggests state governments want only power and had shifted their responsibility to Modi.
It cannot be discarded the situation is grave, but so is the scale of the pandemic. The vaccine had been developed but the speed to manufacture depends upon the availability of raw material and the necessary storage and transportation facilities as the vaccine can only be stored at a range of 2-8 degree Celsius.
Japan which sits on the ring of fire is prone to earthquakes and tsunami; therefore they have developed their buildings and other infrastructure accordingly to it. But when the great Tsunami of 2004 and 2011 came, it left only dead bodies and debris behind it. Instead of questioning the obvious they cooperated and work for redevelopment.
We can only hope politicians in India learn from Japan and work cooperatively at least in a period like this and help in overcoming this pandemic as fast as can and with minimum possible loss.
