Politicians, all around the world are famous for doing dirty politics even during very serious pandemic time. This is not new with politicians around the world. This has been happening for ages, for centuries. And continues to happen even now – during coronavirus pandemic time, more “vigorously and efficiently”!
Politics is their profession. No doubt about it. But they should not use a pandemic situation like this for their selfish survival. Isn’t it? But who cares?
The COVID-19 pandemic affected the political systems of multiple countries causing suspensions of legislative activities, isolation or deaths of multiple politicians, and rescheduling of elections due to fears of spreading the virus.
Few states in India like Rajasthan facing total chaos during this pandemic time. Unmindful of their responsibilities, they were engaged in dirty politics. Hopping from one party to another according to their convenience and benefits. Resorting back to ‘resort politics’. When covid-19 patients struggle to get ambulances to get shifted to hospitals from their homes, politicians are moving in costly SUVs. When patients are struggling to get beds in hospitals, politicians are being accommodated in costly resorts and star hotels. Is this the way elected representatives to behave during a pandemic, neglecting totally their electorates.
Debates over how to respond to the epidemic and its economic fallout have opened up a rift between various political parties, especially between the ruling party and those who are in the Opposition side. After the invasion of the corona, newspapers and news channels were so busy covering only corona and political news. Many wonder how come there is nothing except corona and politics happening in their cities and villages. Actually, other routine incidents, like crime keeps happening. But the reporters and the editorial team give importance only to corona and politics. Rest appears as a single column news item somewhere in a corner of a newspaper.
In India, the impact of the pandemic might be felt most in the expansion and reach of the state and the centralisation of power. We are already seeing the pandemic’s impact on national politics in different parts of the world.
In Opposition, non-BJP parties have been lazy in not responding politically at all. It took two full months for the UPA and some other non-BJP parties even to think of talking formally to each other.
In India, the situation is very different. Indian federalism is a very different beast from the US with much less elbow room for the states. Despite health coming under the purview of the states, the Centre has used the National Disaster Management Act to impose a nationwide lockdown from March 24. While most state governments have toed the Central line, some have been pulled up for deviating. Indeed, opposition-ruled states like West Bengal – where chief minister Mamata Banerjee is the strongest critic of the Narendra Modi government and where elections are due next year – have been singled out for criticism. BJP-ruled states like Gujarat also faring very poorly. Some states, on the other hand, have criticised the Centre for prohibiting the sale of liquor, one of the biggest sources of revenue, during the lockdown’s first phase.
There has been a wide variation, too, in the response of the different Indian states to the pandemic. Kerala, where the Communist party is ruling, never toe the line of the Central government. States like Kerala, with its strong public healthcare system and high levels of literacy, have tackled the pandemic well while others have been laggards. A study has shown that the case fatality ratio was the lowest in Kerala and the highest in states like Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The rate of testing, the enforcing of social distancing and health infrastructure possibly explains the variation.
The way the crisis is being handled is itself intensely political. There is a concerted effort by the Central government to show that the pandemic, particularly the number of infections and fatalities, is under control and by state governments to do the same even if that means massaging numbers.
The poor and marginalised have borne the brunt of the lockdown with thousands of migrant workers stranded in their place of work or on highways. Modi has used the opportunity to address the nation on multiple occasions. By labelling the threat of the virus as a war, demanding sacrifices of the Indian people and invoking the Mahabharata.
Where they are ruling in a state, non-BJP parties have made the usual noises about discrimination and neglect by the Centre. But unlike the Left Front in Kerala, they have rarely come up with a robust alternative route to governance.
Though the inept handling of the migrant crisis dented the popularity of the ruling BJP at the Centre, the damage can be offset by its concerted pro-poor drive: the distribution of 24 crore food packets, monthly free ration to 80 crore individuals from the Centre’s coffers as well as a transfer of Rs. 500 a month to every woman who has a Jan Dhan account. Other parties can have advantages in states where they rule. In Kerala, the ruling Left Democratic Front, for instance, has showcased its administrative prowess in containing the pandemic.
Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a ₹3 lakh crore collateral-free loan scheme for businesses, especially micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as part of a ₹20-lakh-crore economic stimulus package to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Sitharaman after announcing the Rs 20-lakh crore economic package said the government would seek cooperation from all parties including the Congress to resolve the issue.
Even this package was criticized by the Congress. The Congress had said the government’s economic package has so far fallen way short of what the prime minister had promised the nation and dubbed it as a “jumla package”.
Every action the ruling-NDA government take, the Opposition parties headed by Congress will question the authenticity of the same and indulge in dirty politics.
Veteran opposition leader Sharad Pawar urged central and state governments to “pay more attention” to coronavirus and the economy hit by the lockdown. For Maharashtra too, these are the priorities, he said, even though “some people might think that corona will go away after a temple is built”.
Though the 79-year-old did not go into specifics, the timing of his words carried a hint.
Yesterday, the Ram Mandir Trust — set up on the directions of the Supreme Court to facilitate the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya — met to set a date for the beginning of the construction. The tentative date for the groundbreaking ceremony could be either on August 3 or 5 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to attend.
PM Modi had announced the formation of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust on February 5 but the plans for temple building were delayed by the outbreak of coronavirus.
“We always think about what should be prioritized. As of now, our priority is to help those infected with coronavirus recover. Some people think that coronavirus will go away after the temple is constructed. That’s why they would have organised the programme. I am only getting to know about this from you people.” This was Mr Pawar’s politics.
In Tamil Nadu, the main Opposition party led by DMK party Stalin, son of late Karunanidhi, never had a cordial relationship with the ruling AIADMK party. Always complaining about the functioning of the CM Edappadi Pazhaniswamy.
In Bengaluru, a ruling party member arranged a big fat wedding with hundreds of his relatives and party friends breaking the lockdown rules. To counter this, the Congress party, headed by ex-CM Siddaramaiah and the present Karnataka Congress Chief D K Shivakumar, arranged a protest rally against the Central government, demanding the prices of petrol and diesel to be brought down with hundreds of their followers. Is this the time for weddings, birthday bashes and protests? Are the social distancing rules only applicable to commoners and not to politicians and those who are in power?
Like this, in every state in India, there is this non-cooperation between the ruling party and the Opposition party members.
At this crucial time, what I am expecting from these Opposition party politicians from all over India is, no one is going to stop your good work during any pandemic time or during floods or during any natural calamities time. In fact, I have seen many political parties distributing masks, foods, and other necessary items in their respective states even now. By doing so one can consolidate their winning chances in future elections. Instead, by engaging in dirty politics they are actually spoiling their chances of winning and forming the next government.
So Think. Start doing good for the virus affected right now and help others who are in need of your service and improve your winning chances. For God’s sake leave dirty politics. Good luck