The second wave of Covid-19, like a tsunami, has inundated the whole world. India has become one of the worst sufferers. For India last Saturday (April 17) was the worst day with 2.6 lakh new cases and 1,493 deaths. Delhi recorded 24,000 new cases and 167 deaths. The worst affected state Maharashtra recorded 63,000 new cases in one day. Alarming predictions stare in our face that the unstoppable pandemic may claim lakhs of lives and our weak health infrastructure will make the situation out of control. Nobody knows how long the scourge will last causing unexpected consequences. Partial lockdowns have been imposed in several cities and states. We may see full-fledged lockdowns if the disease is not brought under control.
The country is already reeling under pandemic related economic slowdown. Business is already dull, industrial output is down and unemployment is at all time high. Desperate workers have started leaving Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai and other big industrial hubs. They are frightened and taking buses, lorries and even autorickshaws to travel long distances to reach the safety of their villages and areas. History is repeating what these desperate people had faced just one year back.
In these fearful times lakhs and lakhs of people attended the Kumbh festival and took the holy dip in the river Ganga. All precautions were thrown to the winds and fear grips the country that the infected shardhaloos may spread the pandemic in the whole north India.
In this critical time it is rightly expected that the two top leaders of the country who are presiding over the destiny of 104 billion Indians would have been controlling the situation from the capital. But unfortunately they are in Bengal, fighting the last-ditch battle of their lives to impose their rule in Bengal and move towards realising the dream of opposition-free Bharat.
Bengal election would be remembered as the example of worst tactics and utmost undesirable abuses, insults and vilifications. Electioneering perhaps had never degraded to such low level in India. Modi and Didi are engaged in a no-holds-barred war. Use of money and muscle is at all time high. Some good hearted citizens had asked the honourable Supreme Court to stop the use of Electoral Bonds worth Rs. 6535 crores. But in their supreme wisdom their lordships refused to intervene in this battle of votes and wits and tricks.
The future of democracy looks to be very bleak and depressing. Once the election is over, horse-trading and line crossing will start. Unprincipled and unscrupulous politicians are ever ready to pawn their conscience provided that they possess it. Those who have already mortgaged their moral sense to devil can go to any limit. It is to be seen who has the last laugh. May God save the country and her people from leaders whose last refuge is politics and nothing else.