Here’s why the Congress is responsible for this second wave of Covid-19
There is death and despair all around us. If someone had told me one year back- when the world wasn’t even sure that a vaccine can be found that a vaccine will indeed be created- not one but many and yet India will see 2 lakh infections everyday I would have thought it impossible. If someone had told me that India will distribute vaccines to the world while hundreds of thousands of Indians suffer I would have said that this level of foolishness and cruelty does not exist. The election rallies, kumbh melas, etc would not have surprised me though. Indians in large numbers have tremendous capacity for self harm.
Crisis can be a good teacher. Catastrophe an excellent teacher. Let me ask the only question one can ask today without fear of adverse consequence- what could/should the Congress party have done to prevent this crisis? I have some ideas.
First, it would have been good if there was some kind of a judicial body whose responsibility would be to uphold the constitution of India and act as a check on the legislative and the executive. If we had such an institution, I imagine it would have insisted that the government of the day put before the Parliament detailed accounts of how the PM-Cares money has been used. If the government of the day knew that there exists such an independent judicial body it would have ensured that the money is spent to build hospitals, import vaccines and so on. Such a judicial body would certainly have ensured that any lockdown- which is in principle a denial of fundamental rights, is accompanied by income support for the poorest. It would have forbidden any non-essential mass gathering- including religious festivals.
Second, some kind of an independent super auditor should have been created- again, this would have ensured that the PM cares money is spent and spent well. In any democracy the public deserves to know how their money has been spent.
Third, an independent body to regulate and conduct elections. Such a body could have ensured that any political campaigning is done only and only after serious compliance with covid-safety measures. In the middle of an out-of-control pandemic, it would have either postponed elections or held them in a single phase in West Bengal, just like it was done in Tamil Nadu. Such a body would have penalized every politician violating covid safety and posing a risk to millions.
If someone tells you- look the number of infections for West Bengal today are less than the numbers in xyz non-election state, do tell them that infections for a gathering done today show up five days later. Also, significant number of infections are asymptomatic. Someone who gets infected after attending a rally today may meet someone eight days later, that someone will meet more people and so on. The vulnerable will die. Call up a hospital around you, or forget a hospital, call up the nearest crematorium and ask if there is space. Then ask yourself if every possible effort to prevent even one infection shouldn’t have been made.
Finally, the congress party should have ensured that no matter which government is in power, there will be two Prime Ministers- one for campaigning and one for governing. In the middle of the largest covid wave across the world, every country deserves a Prime Minister who does nothing except focus on fighting the pandemic. They should have also passed a law which said that every Prime Minister would have to address a press conference where unscripted questions will be put forth and will have to be answered. I have a strong feeling that any Prime Minister who knows he will have to face questions from the public/some independent journalists will work harder. S/he would have been worried that the questions- why didn’t we arrange enough vaccines, how was the PM Care funds used, how many hospitals built in the last year etc. may be asked. Countless citizens risk their lives just to vote. This is the least they deserve. They are not getting what they deserve. The Congress party must be blamed.