Mutating Into A Political Strain

Who knew those little vials had so much political juice in them? That they had the potency to open old wounds in Centre-state relations, question the federal structure of our Constitution and give political rivals a shot to score brownie points? With exploding Covid cases, when all efforts of political leaders, administration and civic bodies should be focused on bringing the curve down, the fight against the pandemic has turned into an all-out blame-game.

The second wave of the Covid ­pandemic has brought with it a war of words between the Centre and all ­opposition-run states—the most ­virulent of them has been the exchange between the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government and the Centre. Battling the highest number of Covid cases, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray was forced to announce a ­15-day curfew from April 14, imposing several restrictions in the state.

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But Thackeray had to walk a tight-rope as he set aside the differences between his government and the Centre—that go beyond the pandemic—and sought the Narendra Modi government’s help in handling the exploding corona crisis in the state. While he did not mention the vaccine shortage—something that his government has been complaining about—he requested the prime minister for military help in tackling oxygen ­cylinder shortage.

A senior Shiv Sena leader says that Thackeray was careful not to bring up the issue of vaccine shortage in his statement as he did not want to ­politicise the issue any further. “As it is, there is too much bad blood between the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) and the BJP. At this point, the CM does not want to aggravate the issue since Maharashtra needs the Centre’s help to tide over the crisis. We need the GST compensation due to the state from the Centre. We may need supplies of ­(antiviral drug) Remdesivir. With the CM publicly putting out a humanitarian appeal, it will be difficult for the Centre to ignore it,” he says.

Earlier, Maharashtra had asked the Centre for more vaccines, accusing it of discriminating against opposition-run states. But health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan had slammed the MVA government, saying that it was trying “to divert attention from...repeated failures to control the spread of the pandemic.”

Not just Maharashtra but several other non-BJP states too have complained of step-motherly treatment by the Centre, claiming “vaccine starvation”. “It is evident that the BJP government is using the pandemic for political mileage and to show the opposition-run states in a poor light,” claims Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala. All Congress-run states like Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are facing vaccine shortages with no assurance from the Centre about additional supply. The Left-ruled Kerala has also complained of severe vaccine shortage.

Up north in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) called for “vaccine nationalism” and “vaccine universalisation” with a strict India-first rule. AAP leader Raghav Chadha says that Indian citizens must be given priority over exports to other countries. “The Centre has chosen to export over 64 million doses to 84 countries while Indian citizens are desperately looking for a vaccination centre that is still open. By promoting vaccine nationalism, the Centre must ensure that every Indian citizen is vaccinated and does not have to suffer because of the government’s diplomatic ­adventurism,” he says.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has been repeatedly urging the Centre to allow those below 45 to get vaccinated at the earliest, highlighting the fact that 65 per cent patients are under 45 years and therefore ineligible for inoculation.

But the BJP sticks to its stance. Vijay Chauthaiwale, in-charge of the BJP’s foreign affairs department and a microbiologist, defends the prioritisation of the vaccination of vulnerable groups. “Vaccines are a scarce commodity in the world. The first phase of the vaccination drive prioritises vulnerable groups such as older citizens, healthcare workers, and frontline workers. Those aged 45 and above have accounted for almost nine out of 10 Covid deaths across the country,” he says. India is well on track to achieving its target of vaccinating 300 million vulnerable citizens by August, he adds.

He says exporting the vaccine is part of contractual obligations that the manufacturer has to fulfil. “A large proportion of the 60 million-plus vaccines sent abroad were either commercially exp­orted or supplied through the COVAX programme,” says Chauthaiwale.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was among the first to question the ­government’s decision to export, ­accusing the Centre of “mismanaging” the situation. He was also critical of the prime minister’s nomenclature of a ­nationwide vaccination drive as ‘tika utsav’ or a vaccine festival.

While the prime minister said he would not join issue with those politicising the pandemic, his ministers have not desisted from dirtying their hands. Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad hit back at Rahul Gandhi in a ser­ies of tweets on April 9, saying, ­“Rahul Gandhi must know that shortage in Congress-ruled states is not of vaccines but of basic commitment ­towards healthcare.”

But a Congress leader who didn’t want to be named accuses the Modi government of being discriminatory. “Are Covid cases rising only in opposition-run states? What about states like Gujarat, Karnataka, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh? Then why does the Centre send its teams only to Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, and then release a copious report on how there is a lack of Covid-appropriate compliance there? What about religious gatherings like the Kumbh mela and crowded rallies that the PM, Amit Shah and J.P. Nadda are addressing in West Bengal? Is that compliance with Covid-appropriate beh­aviour?” he asks.

At the time of writing, at least 102 devotees—from among the lakhs thronging the Kumbh Mela at Haridwar—tested positive. Earlier, when Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat was asked about the wisdom of holding Kumbh Mela in the middle of the pandemic, he had said a dip in the holy waters of the Ganges will en­s­­ure there is no corona.

As the Ganges winds its way towards east to West Bengal, which is in the middle of a highly vitriolic election campaign, Covid cases are rising along with political temperature. The Calcutta High Court, on April 13, ordered all court proceedings to be held in virtual mode in view of the surge. However, no limit has been placed on the number of people who can attend political rallies. Limits have been placed on the number of people who can attend marriages and funerals, but election rallies have a sea of people, almost nobody with any Covid SOP. “May be the soaring temperatures at the political rallies make them immune to the virus,” says a haples voter

That’s certainly a new antidote to the killer coronavirus.