Why we shouldn’t compare Tablighi congregation and Kumbh Mela?
The coronavirus is back in the news all over the country. The common man is anxious and confused. While politicians are conducting major election rallies, people have been prevented from earning wages for their food. Nobody seems to have a problem with election rallies during the day. But if people venture out in their cars or bikes after 10 pm, they are stopped and tortured. At the same time, the government is relaxing the regulations for the Maha Kumbh Mela.
The government that has been warning about the imposition of the lockdown in the country is at the same time allowing a huge congregation of people in the name of Kumbh Mela. The media that had branded the Tablighi convention as the ‘Coronavirus convention’ is now silent about the Kumbh Mela. If Kumbh Mela were to be compared to the movie, Bahubali, the Tablighi convention can be regarded as a five-minute short film. “The Tablighi convention took place when there was no adequate information and awareness about the Coronavirus while Kumbhamela is taking place when all of us are aware about the impact of the coronavirus”, a popular Bollywood director tweeted. And his words are nothing wrong. When the Tablighi convention was organized, the organizers did not have any information about the Coronavirus. And the government had not issued any order or guidelines about the coronavirus.
We could have condemned the Tablighi convention if it was organized by flouting any guidelines or orders. In the absence of any such violations, several cases were registered against the organizers of the convention. Similarly, the media spread rumours about the workers. By spreading lies such as about the Tablighis spitting on doctors, the media tried hard to prove that the Coronavirus spread because of this.
But finally, the courts dropped all charges against the organizers and took the media to task for spreading rumours vilifying the Tablighis. As against these, the Kumbh Mela is a clearer case. Most importantly, the Tablighi convention was not a public mela. The number of people who have gathered at the Kumbhamela is much larger than those who participated in the Tablighi convention. The fact that an indirect lockdown has been imposed in several cities including Mumbai due to the Coronavirus and at the same time the government has itself gathered crores of people in Uttarakhand has confused people. It has made people view the government’s decisions with suspicion.
If the Coronavirus does not spread when crores of people gather in Kumbh Mela, how does it spread in buses or trains? Kumbh Mela is in no way indispensable for people and people have not demanded that Kumbh Mela be organized at any cost.
Despite this, if the government is keen to gather crores of people, why should people suffer due to the curfew imposed by the government? Ironically, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Rawat has said that the Tablighi convention should not be compared to the Kumbh Mela. There is a truth in his saying. The Tablighi convention does not compare to the disaster of Kumbh Mela. Rawat has issued a hollow defense about the Kumbh Mela saying ‘the Tablighi convention took place indoors while the Kumbh Mela is taking place on the banks of a river.”
If it is true that the Coronavirus spreads only in rooms and not in public places, why was lockdown imposed for three months in public places and why were people confined within four walls? Why are the police attacking those who wander on the streets late in the night? The greatest tragedy is his statement that “Goddess Ganga will save devotees from the coronavirus.” The Central government has spent thousands of crores of rupees to protect Goddess Ganga. She has become completely maligned unable to carry the weight of the sins of her devotees.
Experts have already submitted a report that the water of Ganga is not fit for consumption. The water of Ganga has become poisonous either due to the dirt thrown by devotees or the effluents discharged from factories. Even though efforts are being made to cleanse the Ganga, the government has not succeeded in its efforts. It is not about the Ganga rescuing devotees; the Ganga should be rescued from the devotees. In fact, it is possible that the Ganga might curse devotees for abusing it during the Kumbhamela. For Haj yatra that happens at the international level, the government there imposed severe restrictions. Although it is generally very well-organized with stringent regulations, it was not allowed when the virus was on the rampage. Strict regulations have been imposed for Ramzan Umra as well.
The government took these decisions as it was concerning the people. Here, in India, by imposing lockdown and night curfew for the working class, the Indian government has made the Coronavirus a joke. All chief ministers are repeatedly issuing statements that people should comply with regulations. But people have started questioning why they should not participate in daily activities when crores of people can gather in a mela. People have lost confidence regarding the orders of the government. It is only because of the inconsistencies of the government that the spread of Coronavirus is increasing by the day. The government should take complete responsibility for this. The duality in the decisions of the government about the coronavirus, lockdown, curfew, and safe distancing is why the country has reached this stage. The government that has still not learnt its lessons is continuing its dual policies and is taking the country on the path of destruction.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
