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Biggest trap after the farmer's protests
The political fallout of the COVID pandemic makes it amply clear that this is a new trap for the Modi government. The opposition is bound to lay such traps. Politics is the art of doing so. People may say that they are talking about the pandemic or the deaths and not politics, but this is sheer politics. There is no doubt about it.
It also is clear that either the Modi government has invited this trap upon itself or was left with no option but to enter the trap knowingly.
What is the trap?
1. Cry faul over availability and distribution of the vaccines.
It appears as if the central government's plans about vaccines have gone completely haywire. States like Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan and Paschim Bangal are trying to underplay and hide the rising number of active cases behind this mistake of the centre. Even a cursory look at social media gives an impression that they have succeeded in this. At least for the time being. Some newspapers are also seen highlighting the adverse news stories from Gujarat, UP and MP more than concentrating on the near complete breakdown of the system in Maharashtra. The narrative is clear and loud - whatever happens there is due to wrongdoings of the BJP state government and the central government. The failure is combined. But, whatever happens here is the sole responsibility of either the centre or the local self government bodies under BJP rule! A conscious effort is seen in keeping the focus of even the local news towards the BJP aka the central government.
2. Powers bestowed upon states regarding vaccination.
The centre seems to have been caught in the trap even on the demands from the states on more rights related to vaccination. The differential rates announced by the "Serum Institute' has added fuel and the fire is likely to keep burning for next few weeks where the ruling combine in Maharashtrais likely to bake its political bread. The centre should have kept all the procurement rights regarding vaccines with itself. But, non-clarity on the supply front might have pushed the centre to drag its feet out of vaccine procurement and now it appears to have been trapped over the issue. Pawar's personal equations with Poonawala might win a fair deal for Maharashtra. In that case all the praise shall go to Pawar. But, if that doesn't happen the blame shall go to Modi.
3. Ramdeaivir and Oxygen
How politics started over supply and shortage of these and how it is being manipulated is worth looking at. To a large extent the center invited the situation upon itself. Ambiguity over stocks and supply, gaps that might lead to suspicion, failure in effectively communicating its efforts on the front to common people are some of the reasons why the campaign to paint the central government as a villain has gained weight. Inertness of the state governments is more serious, but it has been covered under errors of the centre.
4. Emotive games and the politics
It is common sense that the central government has no role whatsoever in the exponential rise in the number of cases in Maharashtra or Delhi. But, it was all blamed conveniently on the centre. The centre might have been napping while the numbers skyrocketed in these states, but the state governments were dead asleep and hence should have been blamed more. But, systematic efforts are being made to blame it all on the centre.
The most indefensible emotive argument in the whole game is - let go whatever has happened in the past, but now we need to focus on treating the patients. Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope's offer to bow before Modi to secure better treatment for patients in Maharashtra or Kejriwal's selective leak of his drama with folded hands during a Web meeting with the PM are all part of this politics. News stories on the line - "Arrogant centre doesn't pay head even to ministers and CMs begging with folded hands" might be the next thing in line. Keeping the supply chain of Remdesivir disturbed might be beneficial to some. That would be the next low level of this politics.
5. Elections and pandemic
The moment Didi's prospects in Bengal elections dwindled, issues like crowds in election rallies and rising cases of COVID infection came up rapidly on the media centrestage. This trap is to demoralize the BJP even after impressive victory in Bengal. I'm sure the social media posts after May 2 would be flooded with "Maut ka Saudagar" tag for Modi and even a far off state like Maharashtra would say that their priority is Oxygen and not the results of Bengal elections. The narrative would have remained same albeit with different wording even if Mamata would have been winning the election.
It is good to say as an idealism that Modi-Shah should have stayed away from the campaign and concentrated on pandemic. However, this idealism is applied only to a selective people at selective time is wrong. Would these people have supported the idea to suspend elections and imposition of president's rule till the end of the pandemic? The questions that need to be asked are - if the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Delhi were not busy campaigning at Bengal, why they failed in timely action to stop rising numbers? But, instead of asking such probing questions, Modi baiters would won't shy away from using the Bengal results to their advantage.
This trap is nastier than the one laid during farmers' protests and Modi-Shah seem to have been trapped in it. Indians are emotional fools. Modi-Shah had been successful in making effective emotive appeals to the people. Now, the opposition is using the same tool.
In Maharashtra the pendulum has swiftly swung from "Politics of Rs 100 crore in extortion" to "Politics over dead bodies" in past 20 days. The trap is to make people believe that corrupt politicians are better than the other lot that leaves you to die. It won't be easy to break the trap by coining some new word like "Andolanjeevi".
