STAGING EXTRAVAGANT, DRAMATIC spectacles to camouflage the confusion and paralysis in terms of policy formulation and practical governance has been the central characteristic of the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-National Democratic Alliance government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis right from the early stages of the pandemic in India. True to form, the run-up to the third phase of the lockdown from May 4 through May 17 was also marked by yet another diversionary extravaganza. This time it was by deploying Indian Air Force flights to conduct flypasts across India and shower flower petals on select hospitals and facilities, ostensibly to show the nation’s gratitude to the thousands of health care workers battling the pandemic. The “celestial flower show” was accompanied by illumination of Indian Navy ships in harbours and band performances by the Indian Army in hospitals and other venues.
Similar theatrics preceded earlier phases of the lockdowns too, on March 24 and April 14. Lockdown 1.0 came in with the “sound show” of March 22, when the Prime Minister exhorted the people to clap their hands or ring bells or bang utensils from their houses as a symbolic gesture to show their appreciation for the corona warriors. Then came the “light show”, by which people were asked to switch off lights at home at 9 p.m. on April 9 and light a candle or a lamp or flash a mobile phone standing at their doorsteps or balconies. Each of these performances was accompanied by self-aggrandizing manoeuvres of the BJP and its associates in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-led Sangh Parivar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were the principal players in this “patting one’s own back” exercise.
DEATH ON THE TRACKS
This story is from the May 22, 2020 edition of FRONTLINE.
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This story is from the May 22, 2020 edition of FRONTLINE.
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How Not To Handle An Epidemic
The lockdowns were meant to buy time to put in place appropriate health measures and contain the coronavirus’ spread, but they have failed to achieve the objective and heaped immense misery on the marginalised sections of society. India is still in the exponential phase of the COVID-19 infection and community transmission is a reality that the government refuses to accept.
Tragedy on foot
As the COVID-19-induced lockdown cuts the ground beneath their feet in Tamil Nadu, thousands of migrant workers are trudging along the highway to the relative safety of their upcountry homes.
Sarpanchs as game changers
Odisha manages to keep COVID-19 well under control because of the strong participation of panchayati raj institutions and the community at the grass-roots level under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Scapegoating China
As the COVID-19 death rate spikes and the economy tanks in the United States, Donald Trump and his advisers target China and the World Health Organisation with an eye to winning the forthcoming presidential election.
New worries
Kerala’s measured approach to the pandemic and lockdown has yielded results. But it still has to grapple with their huge economic impact on its economy, which it feels the Centre’s special financial relief package does little to alleviate.
No love lost for labour
Taking advantage of the lockdown and the inability of workers to organise protests, many State governments introduce sweeping changes to labour laws to the detriment of workers on the pretext of reviving production and boosting the economy.
Capital's Malthusian moment
In a world that needs substantial reorienting of production and distribution, Indian capital is resorting to a militant form of moribund neoliberalism to overcome its current crisis. In this pursuit of profit, it is ready and willing to throw into mortal peril millions whom it adjudicates as not worth their means—an admixture of social Darwinism born of capital’s avarice and brutalism spawned by Hindutva. .
Understanding migration
When governments and their plans are found to be blatantly wanting in addressing reverse migration, exercises such as the Ekta Parishad’s survey of migrant workers throughout India can be useful to work out creative long-lasting solutions.
Waiting for Jabalpur moment
The Supreme Court’s role in ensuring executive accountability during the ongoing lockdown leaves much to be desired. Standing in shining contrast is the record of some High Courts.
An empty package
The Modi regime, which has been unable to control the COVID-19 infection, restore economic activity and provide relief to millions exposed to starvation, trains its sights on Indian democracy, making use of the panic generated by fear and a lockdown that forecloses paths of resistance.
