Covid- 19 Blues - If
you elect a Clown, Circus is expected
Syed Ali Mujtaba
At the stroke of 9 PM on Sunday April 5, 2020, the entire
country headed to the Prime Minster Narander Modi’s call to switch off lights
for nine minutes and then light candle. They all did, even those in one-room
huts with just a small bulb. This has made some pessimists with a wit of humor to
comment, ‘if you elect a clown, circus is obvious.
Whatever maybe the outcome in the battle against Corona the
Prime Minister has been successful to co-opt everyone in this moment of crisis
and this was reflected in light festival with crackers and fireworks witnessed
on April 5, 2020.
The fact remains that people are ready to obey the commander
in chief; even many know it’s something bizarre. They are blindly doing so as
they are convinced that the Prime Minister would win the war against Corona
virus and in such moment of crisis they must show national solidarity, no matter
even if someone calls it a circus.
Well such is the aura of the incumbent Prime Minister
Narander Modi. He has catapulted himself to the position where it can be said Modi
is India and India is Modi.
This is
repeat situation of 1975 when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minster and it was
then said; Indira is India and India is Indira.
The similarity between the two is quite a few. Both established
a powerful connection with the masses and the masses were willing to obey their
leader. Both the Prime Ministers had shown huge drive towards personalization
and centralization of power. Who scores over the other is personal likes and
dislikes of the two leaders. The other similarity is both the leaders made
their own decisions and headed no one’s advice-council of ministers or the PMO
experts etc.
While Indira Gandhi connected with the masses on poverty
eradication plank and every one believed her that she is going to make countrymen
get rid of their hunger and starvation,
similarly, everyone believes Narander Modi connects with the masses with his
cult image as a Hindu icon, that will turn India into Ram Rajya.
Modi is India- India is Modi comes out vividly when Prime
Minster Modi gave three days’ notice on March 19, when he announced Janta
curfew for March 22.
The time was 7 AM to 9 PM and he gave 5 minute break time
exactly at 5 PM for the people to come out and do hand clapping and beat vessel
to shoo the virus. People obeyed him and got into joys mood and chanted ‘go
corona go.’ This was one man’s decision
and people obeyed his command without any opposition.
In this circus like activity, the narrative that was built
was the act of cheer was an ode to the Corona workers fighting the virus. However,
no one asked the question why at 5 PM alone and why not at any other time of
the day. None asked the need of such circus when the fight against virus had
just begun? Even no one questioned the narrative to be a smoke screen for Hindu
superstitions that Corona can be shooed by collective noise. That is the aura
of the Prime Minister.
Once again Prime Minister Modi comes on the TV on March 24 at
9 PM to announce the 21 days complete lock down in the country till April 14
with just four hour notice. The country men complied to his orders even though,
it came as a shock to them as many of them were unprepared and bid time to get
them organized.
Even though there were cat calls why the Prime Minister did
not announced the lock down on March 19 when he was asking to obey Janata
Curfew on March 22. Why he took three days’ time? What preparation did the government made in
the interim period of March 19 to 24 before he announced lock down? Even with
all such doubts people did not defy the orders of the Prime Minister.
Then what happened was human fall out of the lock down as a
large number people were to be faced with untold hardship. People forgot about
the government’s preparedness to fight the virus and focus shifted to human tragedy
that we all watched on the TV like a reality show.
Now no one talked about community testing, inadequate supply
of drugs and equipment to those in the frontline to fight the pandemic as the entire
attention shifted to the plight of the poor who had become victims of the
lockdown. The fight against virus now turned towards poor people’s suffering and
the government looked for cover to defend its decision of lockdown.
What started as a fight against the Corona
virus shifted to government’s apathy to address people’s hunger and starvation
cries? At a time when the government seems to be in the dock, the Tabligi Jamat
episode surfaced. People forgot about the plight of the people walking miles
without food water towards their homes and a vilification campaign was built against
the Muslim community. Now Corona had don Islamic colors. And to get rid of the
Muslims was a remedy to win the war against the unseen enemy. The human tragedy
that unfolded and communalization of the society that followed, took away all the
seriousness with which the fight against the virus was going on.
Even as all these things were happening, no one noticed
something unique. The Union government usurped the powers of the states under
the central legislation called the Disaster Management Act of 2005 to announce nationwide
lock down.
As per the Constitution, both law and order and health
subjects are under the preview of state governments and any such announcement could
have been done only by the state governments.
But in this case the central government over ruled the state powers and declared
lock down even without declaring a constitutional emergency in the country.
This is something unprecedented in India.
But then, the Prime Minister has his own typical style of
functioning. He has little regard for constitutional democracy, the rule of law,
the advice of the council of ministers or his own advisors at the PMO. He goes by the adage “Na Khata na bahe, jo
Modi kahe wahi sahee” ( No ledger no log books – whatever Modi says is law).
Now coming back to the lighting of the candles on April 5,
2020, why the PM asked the people to add to the darkness first by switching off
the lights and then ask then asking them to dispel light by lighting the candles/diyas.
What is the relationship of such symbolism with the fight against the Corona
virus?
No one went into such deep thinking and they responded to
Prime Minister call by lighting the candle. None questioned Mr Modi’s wisdom
this time again as they did some time ago when the demonetization was announced
and people had to undergo untold hardship in its wake. This was because people had
faith that the Prime Minister will turn around their sufferings and bring ‘Ache
Din’ (better days) in the country.
Even after knowing well to have been deceived earlier, the people
again has re-imposing their faith in the Prime Minister and lit the candle
hoping that he will lead the country to victory against the unseen enemy. The question is will
he do so or will he con again?
The fight against Corona virus is totally different from the Prime Minister’s earlier decisions
like; the surgical strikes, demonetization, GST etc. It’s a global pandemic that
needs preparedness in the health facilities at a massive scale.
However, government strategy is to have rudimentary medical
facilities at the hospitals and to treat only the full blown up cases. There is
no emphasis on testing the impact of virus in each person which is the key to the
containment of Covid.
The government is hoping that the lock down will break the
chain of the virus and it will die its own death. There is some cynicism in
such thinking as there are many grey areas in such battle plan. Will the government save the people from the
impending catastrophe with such battle plan is open to discussion.
The other discussion is how to give relief to the poor and
the marginalized segment of the society who has borne the brunt of the lock down
in the country. Equally important is the way the communal virus has fang out in
the country while fighting the war against the Covid-19. The total indifference
of the government in containment in all such issues suggests the government’s lack
of seriousness in handling this novel epidemic.
Now if we analyze the call by made the PM to make sound and noise
first and then light candle it reflects on the country’s commitment to fight
the Corona virus. The optimists pin lots of hope on the Prime Minister’s
approach to fight pandemics some pessimists call it, ‘if you elect a clown,
circus is obvious.
--
Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be
contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com
Chennai April 13, 2020:
Guru Nanak College at Velachery here has opened its doors to migrant
workers from across the country stranded due to COVID lock down. 
“There are currently 350 people housed in the college and we can
host up to a maximum of 700 people more,” said Mr Nayyar, adding, in this
voluntary service there is no distinction of caste, color and creed, language, region
or religion and the guiding principal is; service to humanity is service to God.
“The migrant workers can stay at the campus as long as the
lock down is in place,” said Mr. Nayyar who is also the Assistant Commandant
General for the Home Guards, adding “we will always be able to clean the place
and make it ready once the announcement comes that the students resume studies
at the college.”
