Corona Virus – Power Grab Update

Padmini Arhant

India – Prior to corona virus pandemic, the national economy under tremendous distress with record unemployment, banks insolvency in the wake of too many defaulters among businesses and industrialists primarily BJP campaign donors and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s close contacts ignoring loan repayments and their companies listed in non performing assets (NPA) had to be bailed out by national bank viz. State Bank of India and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)  both owned and run by ordinary tax payers savings and life insurance policies absorbing debts and liabilities at Central Reserve Bank i..e. Reserve Bank of India ( RBI) instruction to salvage the bank.

PM Narendra Modi Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) along with NRC and NPR burdening Indian citizens to prove their identity as Indian nationals attracted legitimate concerns and trepidation triggering nationwide protests including students in college campus and predominantly muslim women in Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad.

The peaceful non—violent assembly was dispersed with brute force claiming innocent lives of students, women and children followed by Delhi violence involving Narendra Modi and Amit Shah deployed arsonists burning down homes, schools and hospitals of Muslims and the so-called lower caste lower income Hindus discriminated as Dalits…with the criminals behind the arson granted impunity by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah rubbing salt on the victims’ wounds and the survivors of heinous crime in the capital New Delhi in late February.

Delhi violence also highlighted yet another factor on the local state government headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia remaining oblivious to horrendous crime declining any support to SOS moment.

These activities coincided with the United States President Donald Trump state visit to India in late February. The event comprised US President arrival in PM Narendra Modi’s home state Gujarat earlier headed by Chief Minister Narendra Modi for more than a decade falsely propagating the so-called Gujarat economic model that was used to win national election in 2014  elevating Narendra Modi to Prime Ministership serving the current second term in office.

Interestingly, PM Narendra Modi authorized the construction of wall to hide poor neighborhood en route Ahmedabad airport, Gujarat to designated venue where PM Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump scheduled to address the paid captive audience. 

Narendra Modi raising the wall to mask poverty debunked then Chief minister Narendra Modi’s Gujarat economic model. PM Narendra Modi‘S  usual lack of economic prudence splurging ordinary Indians tax funds on the wall instead of utilizing the public money to alleviate hardships surmised appeasement politics.   

Again, in this context perhaps PM Narendra Modi fawning on President Donald Trump was conscious of the latter’s sentiments to naked poverty in Gujarat in a manner King Suddhodhana, the father of Prince Siddartha who later became known as Gautam Buddha shielded his son, the heir to the throne from witnessing any suffering fearing the Prince abdication in quest for spiritual enlightenment.

However, neither of them are King Suddhodhana or Prince Siddartha aka Gautam Buddha respectively except the wall confirming PM Narendra Modi’s perception of impoverishment as an embarrassment prompting such decision to conceal the bare facts on Gujarat economic paradigm.

These developments in India were happening amid corona virus outbreak in neighboring China publicly known via news outlets in December 2019 to which PM Narendra Modi paid no attention evident in the absence of quarantine on passengers from overseas especially next door China until late March 2020. 

PM Narendra Modi’s defiance against quick measures in the health and economic fronts until the belated lock down imposed haphazardly confusing vast majority of Indian population with the previous decree to cheer health care workers through physical actions that brought hundreds and thousands on the streets clinging pots and pans besides experimenting other random musical objects disrupted lockdown to oblige PM Narendra Modi.

Lately, PM Narendra Modi called on India to light traditional lamps, hold candle light and wave flashlights supposedly to demonstrate solidarity to all those in lock down nationwide much to the frustration of overwhelming population deeply disappointed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ominously missing information on arrangements related to corona virus mitigation and medical supplies apparently shipped to China in the height of contagion corona virus peaking worldwide not excluding the affected toll rising in India as well even in the bare minimum testing in a nation of 1.3 billion population. Above all, the lack luster economic stimulus showing no hope of relief and instead exacerbating the middle class, lower income and the poorest dire economic situation in the country reflect status quo. 

In between these episodes, the migrant workers from north, northeastern, northwestern, central, eastern and western parts of the country hired in Delhi and all over the country having been completely neglected with no food or bare essentials began to return to their villages and home towns as far as 300kms to 1500kms entirely by foot with many losing lives due to hunger and arduous journey over land without footwear proved more challenging for them than the deadly corona virus.

Meanwhile, the Islamic religious congregation in New Delhi held with home minister Amit Shah’s permission and PM Narendra Modi’s consent in March prior to lock down referred to as the source of corona virus spike in Delhi and southern state Tamil Nadu by BJP factions and those never missing opportunity to stir communal divide is reprehensible. There have been several similar religious turnouts at the Isha foundation meetings in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu and public gatherings all over India around the same time according to general society not attracting any discord or objection whatsoever. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s self-obsession in the performance to the gallery steering hard fought freedom and democracy to contrived theatrics wasting valuable resources and time suggest the administration’s failure to comprehend and contain the enormous health and economic calamity.

Not to mention the government’s inadequate response and preparedness to health and economic crises causing significant physical, mental, social and psychological trauma to billion citizens legitimately seeking viable practical solutions to the current problems confronting India.

Last but not the least, any form of prejudice against anyone at any time more so in the acute health and economic period is best abandoned conforming to civility and decorum for individual well being and collective interests.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

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