Amidst an economic crisis engulfing the entire country, the Legislative Assembly elections in Bihar are attracting a lot of attention. Expectations that Chirag Paswan, the son of deceased Bihar strongman Ram Vilas Paswan, would fill the shoes of his father have fallen flat. By showing that he is more loyal to the service of Prime Minister Narendra Modi than his father, he has found his identity in the state Assembly elections. Trying to bank on the sympathy wave, Chirag is trying to gain the support of voters by becoming a Modi bhakth instead of trying to fight the elections as a representative of the Dalit community. Even to raise his voice against the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who heads the JD(U)-BJP coalition Government, Chirag is using Modi’s name. It appears that Chirag does not have faith in his father’s political charisma.
At the same time, Nitish Kumar’s plight is pathetic. BJP entered Bihar through Nitish’s socialist principles and pro-people administration. But today, a situation has been created where Nitish Kumar has to ask for votes in the name of Modi. But what has Prime Minister Modi achieved? Nobody seems to have answers to the questions about the developmental programs based on which elections are being contested. Are they trying to portray multiple failures over demonetization, GST, and lockdown as their achievements? Or, have Nitish and Chirag Paswan come forward to claim partnership in Ram Mandir, Patel statue, and other such projects?
Presently, the one positive factor in favor of NDA is the absence of strong opposition. In fact, the main opponents are the anti-people policies of the Centre and State NDA governments. In the present elections, BJP has embraced ‘Corona.’ In fact, the Modi-led government welcomed the Coronavirus by rolling out the red carpet. If the airports were shut in February, there would not have been any need for a complete lockdown in the country. Now, the Modi government has come forward to use its achievements of spreading the Coronavirus across the country in the Assembly elections. The NDA has announced in its election manifesto that it would provide free vaccines to the people of Bihar.
The government should first issue a clarification for its failure which resulted in the arrival of the Coronavirus to the country. It should tender an apology for making people bang plates and lit the lamps to take on the Coronavirus. It should answer questions about why the number of Coronavirus-infected persons did not reduce even after a two-month lockdown that pushed people to the brink of economic disaster and destroyed the economy. The mammoth and the humane problem of migrant laborers and their deaths and other issues are left unanswered. Reluctant to address these problems, the government is trying to fool the voters of Bihar by including in its manifesto the promise of providing a vaccine which simply does not exist as of now.
Prime Minister Modi should at least try to address the anguish of people by informing them about the latest development with regard to the production of the Coronavirus vaccine. But the government does not have any such information. In such a situation, without any idea about when the vaccine will be ready, the manifesto’s promise of distributing free vaccine seems a joke. It is similar to how people were cheated on the promise of bringing back black money from foreign countries and depositing Rs 15 lakh each in people’s accounts. Moreover, will the government provide free vaccines only in Bihar? Don’t other states belong to India? How fair is it to limit free health service to one state? Does it mean that people of other states should pay for the vaccine? This shows the bankruptcy of the manifesto. Today, the government must provide assurance to people about the deflated economy. It should announce programs for migrant laborers who are jobless and are virtually on the streets. It should stop talking about the yet-to-be-discovered vaccine. It should provide assurance about addressing the alarming rise of diseases such as tuberculosis. Any promise about giving the vaccine free for the states that it favors and selling it in other states reflects an absolute lack of sensitivity on the part of the government.
Bihar has experienced the maximum pain and distress relating to the problem of migrant laborers. The Modi Government should now ideally talk about hunger and employment in Bihar. It should apply its mind about how to effectively provide medicines and care to the Coronavirus-hit population in the absence of the vaccine not only in Bihar but in the entire country. People are not fools to expect free Corona vaccine. People are more concerned about getting free food grains distributed at the village level. Similarly, if action is taken to control the rising petrol and onion prices, people of not just Bihar but all over the country can heave a sigh of relief.
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Kumbha Mela stampede: Bodies of two devotees reaches Belagavi
Bengaluru, Jan 30 (PTI): Bodies of the two devotees who died in the stampede at the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela have been handed over to their respective families after their mortal remains arrived at the Belagavi airport on Thursday evening, officials said.
The bodies of Aruna Khorpad (61) and Mahadevi Hanamant Bavanur (48) have been handed over to their families, they said.
Among the deceased also include - Jyoti Deepak Hattavar (44) and her daughter Megha Deepak Hattavar (24), the bodies of whom will arrive in Belagavi by midnight, the officials said.
"Among those who died at the Kumbh Mela, the bodies of two individuals have already arrived at Belagavi airport and have been handed over to their families. The bodies of the remaining two have reached Goa airport and will be transported by road to Belagavi by midnight," a senior official from the revenue department said.
Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting at Vidhana Soudha, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda expressed condolences to the families of the deceased on behalf of the government.
"The government has already borne all the expenses incurred in sending the bodies of the deceased from Delhi to Belagavi. Will also provide appropriate compensation. However, no compensation is equal to the loss of life. The government sympathises with the families," he said.
He said the department has received many calls on its helpline number which was opened to know about the whereabouts of those who went to the Mela from the state.
"Our officials are already in Delhi and are busy making all necessary arrangements for the tourists from Karnataka who were caught in the tragedy. Meanwhile, calls have also been received on the department's helpline. Based on that phone call, we have contacted those who went to the Kumbh Mela and most of them have been contacted".
"The phone of one of them who went to the Kumbh Mela from the Isha Foundation is ringing, but he is not answering the call. Therefore, the search for him is also ongoing," he said.
The minister also criticised the Uttar Pradesh government for not sharing timely details about those injured or died in the tragedy from the state.
"How many devotees from Karnataka have gone to the Kumbh Mela? Out of these, how many were involved in the tragedy? How many were injured? How many died? We have not received any information from the Uttar Pradesh government so far," he alleged.
"Therefore, Karnataka IAS officer Harshal Boyal himself went to the Kumbh Mela site, visited the local hospital there and is checking whether people from our state are injured," he explained.
