Text of PM’s address to the Nation: April 14, 2020 -- Announcing Lockdown 2.0

"From an economic only point of view, it undoubtedly looks costlyright now; but measured against the lives of Indian citizens, there is no comparison itself. The path that India has taken within our limited resources has become a topic of discussion in the entire world today."

Journalists cry foul as known 'anti-BJP' scribe Siddharth Varadarajan is booked by UP police

New Delhi: "Freedom of the press is doubly important in such a context as people cannot make news themselves, but independent media is the most important medium of expressing their concerns. We demand that such politically motivated harassment of media persons should stop immediately," said a statement from a number of senior journalists on a FIR filed against a Siddharth Varadarajan of the 'Wire'.

The website has been accused of causing panic when it reported that UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath attended a religious event on March 25 at Ayodhya on the occasion of Ram Navmi, when a national lockdown was in force.

Founding Editor of 'The Wire' - Siddharth Varadarajan - known for its confrontationist approach towards Modi regime - has been booked by Uttar Pradesh police and asked to appear at the Ayodhya police station at 1000 hours April 14, Tuesday.

Predictably, several media organisations and individual journalists flayed the UP government decision.

A statement on behalf of number of journalists say the Yogi Adityanath led dispensation's move is a "brazen attempt to muzzle the media".

The statement has been endorsed among others by N Ram, Chairman, Hindu Group of Publications; Rajdeep Sardesai, Prem Shankar Jha, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay and Harish Khare, former media advisor to the then PM Manmohan Singh and also a former Editor with 'The Hindu'. among others.

Signatories also include likes of Sagarika Ghose and John Dayal -- certainly also known for their prejudices against BJP and RSS.

The controversy refers to an article reported by 'The Wire' on March 31 -- and not attributed any byline and simply given credit to 'The Wire Staff' says among other things - "On the day the Tablighi Jamaat event was held, Yogi Adityanath insisted that a large fair planned for Ayodhya on the occasion of Ram Navami from March 25 to April 2 would proceed as usual while Acharya Paramhans said that ‘Lord Ram would protect devotees from the coronavirus”. One day after Modi announced the “curfew like” national lockdown on March 24, Adityanath violated the official guidelines to take part in a religious ceremony in Ayodhya along with dozens of people."

Varadarajan, who is often described in BJP circle as 'agenda driven' journalist, had been in controversy in the past as well. In an article for a popular magazine in 2004, Siddharth Varadarajan wrote, “Far from being a spontaneous mass reaction to the attack on the Sabarmati Express at Godhra the day before in which 58 Hindu passengers died, the killings across most of Gujarat seemed scripted. So well chosen were the targets that it is almost as if there was already in place a plan to do something dramatic as part of the ongoing Ayodhya agitation, probably in order to polarise the state on communal lines"


In 2004 article, he had further said : Had Godhra not happened, would Naroda Patiya have burned, would Ehsan Jafri have been killed, the Best Bakery been destroyed and Bilkis Bano been raped? These questions are deeply problematic because they are tainted by the bankruptcy of the Sangh parivar’s moral arithmetic.

Varadarajan has his own approach tand editorial judgement on issues. As Editor of 'The Hindu', he had famously disallowed carrying a story on the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's speech (in 2013) at Delhi's famous Shri Ram College on page 1 -- when the news value of the event suggested otherwise !


The FIR had referred to a tweet by Varadarajan which reads:  "On the day the Tablighi Jamaat event was held, Adityanath insisted a large Ram Navami fair planned for Ayodhya from March 25 to April 2 would proceed as usual and that Lord Ram would protect devotees from the coronavirus".


Later, the scribe also wrote - "I should clarify that it was Acharya Paramhans, Hindutva stalwart and head of the official Ayodhya temple trust, who said Ram would protect devotees from coronavirus, and not Adityanath, though he allowed a public event on 25/3 in defiance of the lockdown and took part himself."

On April 10, a team of the UP police descended at Varadarajan's residence to serve him a notice for appearing on April 14.

ends

First case of COVID19 throws Nagaland out of gear

First case of COVID19 has been reported from Nagaland in the northeast - where the malady is
gradually spreading.

The patient has tested positive in a Guwahati hospital, where he was referred to by doctors in Dimapur.

There is no testing centre in Nagaland and the state government recently announced 
its decision to establish two Bio Safety Laboratory (BSL) one in capital Kohima (under Level 3) and the other in Dimapur (under Level 2).

Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted: "A private hospital in Dimapur, Nagaland referred a patient to GMCH after he was found with symptoms of COVID19. He has tested positive and is undergoing treatment".

Nagaland government - run by NDPP-BJP coalition has plunged into action and privately-run Zion Hospital, where the patient had originally visited in Dimapur, has been sealed.

Sources said the localities where the patient used to stay - Marwari Patty and adjoining Ghorapatty areas have been sealed. Members of the joint family of the patient have been shifted to Nagaland government quarantine centre in Dimapur while his parents were undergoing test in Guwahati.

The patient, who works in a private company, had reportedly flown into Dimapur from Kolkata on March 24 in an Air India flight.

After few days as he developed symptoms for COVID-19, the patient was admitted to the private hospital in Dimapur and later referred to Guwahati for test.

According to the sources, the sample tested positive on April 11.

Nagaland Health minister S. Pangnyu Phom is personally monitoring the situation, sources said.

Meanwhile, contact tracing has been started for all passengers who were on the same flight from Kolkata to Dimapur on March 24.

Dimapur civic authorities have also ordered that the wholesale market at Guwahati-Shillong Road in Dimapur and the retail shops in the locality will remain closed until further directives.

"We appeal all citizens not to panic (in Dimapur and Nagaland) as necessary precautionary measures are taking place to tackle the current situation....," said Y Kikheto Sema, a senior IAS officer in the Special Committee on COVID19 in Nagaland.
 .
For obvious reasons, reports of the positive COVID19 case spread like wildfire leaving citizens and authorities wondering whether Nagaland health system was effective enough to tackle the challenges thrown by COVID-19.

There is also apprehension over transportation of various commodities from Assam and other states through Golaghat (in Assam) where some COVID-19 cases were reported.

Assam has so far reported 29 cases including one death -- of the person who had reportedly attended the Tablighi Markaz
in Delhi in March.
From Tripura - two cases were reported with both the patients (one of them being a woman) having travel history
of boarding a train from Delhi to Guwahati. Reportedly, many of those who attended the Nizamudin conclave of
Muslim clerics also traveled in the same train.

In Mizoram, one pastor who had travelled to Amsterdam and other European cities was tested positive and was undergoing treatment.

Lockdown Musings and Dream : If there was corona and I was 'Indian Prime Minister'

Satire:

Web dictionary says it's the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

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LOCKDOWN weeks amid Corona fear has not helped me fight insomnia -- now a three decade old malady !

One post-midnight hour ... all of a sudden I walked into the room where we had kept a large garlanded photograph of my mom. These were extremely emotional moments. My father was sleeping in another room.

In dim light, I stood in front of my mom’s photo - in silence blinking ! I stood silently with moist eyes and stared blankly for a while and I stared at her lips. I watched on as if her lips moved and she was speaking. ‘Why you are awake so late?’ --- as if she quizzed her ‘boro chheley eldest son)’.

My late night insomnia related walks always made her angry. Of course, my flirtation with ‘writing’ and journalism never excited both my parents at initial years. But my mother knew I loved it.

That night – I felt her voice was not familiar. This sparked an excitement punctuated with curiosity in me. The curiosity made me step little ahead closer to her snap.

An ardent admirer of Bengali fiction; decades back she had told me that stories are ‘best’ when writers pen them with ‘tears’ in their eyes so that the stings of these works would be felt by the readers. I was still standing silently in the room. 

I also felt an irrational hatred for myself. Could we save her had we done something different?

I slowly walked out of the room. My room appeared darker. As I sat with the laptop ...I thought my mom was asking me ---- write something funny ! Let people smile a bit when the world is facing such a calamity!

I walked into the veranda and in a clear sky above; I watched the clouds drift by. Maa could be staring at me. ....Well, I will write something funny !!

                                         

Maa in one of adventurous
 moods  

If there was corona and I was 'Indian Prime Minister'

I dreamt that I have been invited by the President to be Prime Minister as there was an ambiguous verdict resulting in a 'hung' Parliament!

Shortly after that I was invited by a TV channel. 

"Tell us tonight; how do you feel ? What will be your priorities? And how would you deal with the Coronavirus crisis?

This anchor has been the most talkative guy in the town. In some other occasions, I would have said different things ! I tried to suppress my emotion against such journalism. And in a cool manner, I replied: "Well my government will be a people's government...But this country is also very sympathetic to its leaders. We tolerated some Prime Ministers for 13 days and some for ten years. One of my predecessors said he takes instructions from Italy and signs Nuke deal with the US and when asked to comment on nation's future, he had said he is not an astrologer".

In between my wife has got busy ! Now that I was Prime Minister, suddenly she said Tripura should have a new capital preferrably Kamalpur, the small 'beautiful town' she was born. Pressure was already building. "Try a new Ordinance" -- she also knew how governments worked. I was impressed, Good Show my Lady ! She again got busy with her Vodafone connection and had to move three metres away - No it was not social distancing ! It was strategic distancing from me  -- as she got a call from her Mom.

Of course, I had convened a high-level meeting immediately after swearing in. Cabinet Secretary advised me to initiate the discussions on Corona. I stared at him ! 

Are you my brother-in-law that I have to listen to his suggestion, I thought.

 Within next few hours, I had to prepare a speech highlighting the roadmap for the country women and men to fight Corona virus. Should I blame China and then shift focus to blame my predecessors - on how they have failed on health front!

Should I easily say -- Whether under Manmohan Singh or Jawaharlal Nehru,  India’s public health system has continued to suffer from various illness ! 

What is NRHM doing? Whether Ayushman Bharat will help fight the unseen virus in any manner?

Should I patronise one or two media houses right from beginning ! Take a few editors abroad ! But which editors will accompany me now for travel to Wuhan or New York ! Corona Uncle could easily get after them.

As a smart politician (read Neta !! ), I thought of giving things a spin. I can easily say the outlandish praise of a particular political dynasty and especially that 50-year-old adolescent but DYNAMIC ( a joke !!) leader by media and a section of intellectuals only show 'politicization' of every socio-political wings in the country under my predecessors. Someone tried to erase some of these since 2014.

But, none of them could provide a good service to the nation. I will be different. Here is my catchline - People have high expectations and my government will do its best for the people. 

I will be 'a People's Prime Minister'. My speech was almost ready.

Just then, my wife walked in saying - she has consulted astrologers and they all predict that I may not have a smooth sail as country's new Prime Minister.

I knew; this lady will never speak anything good about me. I again suppressed my thoughts and told her rather passively, "Ask your mom to talk to the astrologer she knows. That old fellow had predicted your marriage with me na."

"No, he never predicted that...He had said my marriage will be successful but my husband will be always unsuccessful" - my wife chuckled.

I knew this also. She won't give up any chance of attacking me.

Coronavirus may have some medicine someday, but there is no hydroxychloroquine to my wife's anguish and protest. I gave her an intellectual look and asked her whether she would read few pages of day's editorials from her new mobile. 

She pounced like that good old tigress -- married but not ready to discuss anything bad about her parents' home. "My mobile is not for reading the newspaper stories. The new video game from my Sahelis in Manas Apartment are too good".

Illustrious George: Deserved to be PM  ?

I knew this will work. She ran out of the room. My father-in-law was right about one thing about his daughter -- she hates reading !! 

Two days gone as 'Prime Minister', but I was still struggling with this Coronavirus.

I wanted to keep my communication line with the people on and so I wanted to tweet something. Birds had stopped twittering long back, perhaps. Now Twitter is a household word. One of my predecessors Narendra Modi did very well with that tool. 

My wife knew my mind. "You should learn something from Narendra Modi" - she suggested drawing that usually pathetic but 'very infectious' smile!

"Modiji left his wife long back..." - I said bluntly and the room's peace was destroyed. Her hysteria went on for one hour. I still remain naive about so many things, I thought.

But that evening, I issued a statement urging citizens to follow Janata Curfew for 12 hours and then national lockdown to ensure social distancing.

It was a risky combo offer. Half the people in my country did not understand my logic. Opposition leaders started issuing twitter messages and gave television interviews against my decision.

But my gamble worked with millions of common people. There was overwhelming response. My detractors were shell shocked as many Indians came out blowing conchshells and beating Thalis to record their appreciation for doctors and nurses and other health workers. 

"I have become a national leader...." - I told my wife as I tried to position myself near her on bed. She smiled but foolishly asked -- what is the use of so called Janata Curfew and these Thali beatings and lighting of lamps.

"I am a Hindu..," I told her and she seemed to appreciate this point. Long back she had given up her fascination for Marxism. Modiji had left some influence on her! Daughter of a hardcore Marxist, she had turned a Hindu. I knew some magic words and gestures and rituals work miracles with my wife and millions of Indians.

This time, she did the explanation: "Good. By this curfew call, you have united the entire country. A demoralised nation got into a sense of unity. Smart move, my brother may not like it. But many Indians liked it....Hindu rituals gave people a sense of faith in themselves".

"Yes. Thanks for understanding me. You are always my strength".

She again got wild. "But you always think, I have no brain".

Now, this is her problem. Where do I get all the time to think, whether my wife has brain or not. The very fact that she made that statement shows -- she could be partly right. I decided to opt for silence. Whatever you may be, Prime Minister or a jobless freelance writer -- at the peak of domestic quarrel, silence is BLISS !

As Prime Minister, my energy should be retained for more purposeful purpose. Leading the nation !

But the fight against Corona had to be serious. Within a week of my swearing in, at least 55 people have died and 1000 people already infected. In Kolkata, the Chief Minister was happy, suggested some media reports. She is planning to heap the entire blame of Corona crisis on my doorsteps. She has to win next year's polls.  

In a special 'Heart to Heart' television show on a Sunday: I started by making these initial remarks.

"Corona is a serious virus and is dangerous. This virus does not abide by international rule book and does not need visas and passports. This virus attack is a global challenge and we should not focus on blaming one country or one government". 

The programme went well again and opposition leaders were again 'jealous'. My message gave a global message that my government's and my country's efforts to combat the virus has to be in sync with the global efforts. In America and some European countries an impression was drawn that the corona malady can be handled within respective boundaries. I suggested it had to be global !

I knew my tricks have worked with people. But the overzealous campaigners against my government had to find something against me.

They got together and decided to pull down my government. They met one evening and issued a statement -- "We call for resignation of the Prime Minister. he has failed on all front. Public transport should have been shut after the four or five day gap of lockdown and migrant workers should gave been allowed to return to their villages and other small towns".

I told my wife, I will remain determined in what I decided to do. Fortunately many people in social network backed my agenda 'Act national and Think global' approach. 

I issued another statement through my foreign ministry that "Entire humanity can respond best to coronavirus by coming together, not growing apart.” My daughter said even my wife liked that oneline!

One fine morning, my mother in law called me to congratulate for becoming the first global leader to call for a G20 summit via video conferencing to hammerout “a coordinated response to the pandemic".

A week later she wrote me a text message "So far so good....You are doing well. Now, I realise you are a good son in law.....My daughter too cares a lot about you, take her advice sometime. Last time she advised me on redesigning our house, it was brilliant. My grand children also admire it". 

My dad too was impressed!

But guided by his habits, he tried to guide me. ",,,,but remember problems facing India will be too big. You need to show patience and statecraftness. 

My dad and his grand daughter

My wife came nearby -- what are you doing with this new sms from my sister! I smiled foolishly as if I was trying to conceal some secret.

"Mr Trump called and he is asking for 100 more boxes of chloroquine. You forgot to send a few boxes to my mother also," said my wife. 

I grew pale.

But just then, my dream was over. 

ends 

Mom-in-law Jharna Deb 

Lockdown Musings 2 : Will Corona virus also hit Trumpism and stall his re-election

During his visit to India, President Donald Trump had a closer look at three monkeys of Mahatma Gandhi.

He could be these days taking note of the same and trying to tell himself - do not speak Corona, do not hear about Corona and do not see Corona !

“The coronavirus crisis has exposed Trump as not being well-prepared and himself as not being a hard worker,” said Matthew Barreto, a professor of political science and Chicano studies at UCLA. 

(cnbc.com)

Already, polls are showing that voters have more confidence in the federal government as a whole, than they do in the president. The report further says - A recent NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll found that 62% of respondents have confidence in the federal government to handle the coronavirus crisis, compared with 48% who said they had confidence in Donald Trump.

This was not the situation even a month ago !

Blogger  

Trump is actually already a president who long shunned career government workers and preferred to rely on his 'gut faces a managerial challenge' at a scale unseen by any American leader.

In fact, by March end itself, it was said that if the American economy remains stalled — leaving millions more people to lose their jobs and countless businesses to go bankrupt — then Trump will have overseen an even deeper downturn that devastates his reelection prospects.

Chris Whipple, author of “The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency", according to a report in Politico.com has said under Trump -- “It is almost a White House that was designed to fail from Day One"

“Now, you’ve got a crisis meeting a president who ran against the whole idea of government and who thinks the federal bureaucracy is a deep state out to get him. Now, he has to be able to mobilize that deep state to save us all.”

Predictably, in a statement, the White House press office dismissed the staffing considerations as “palace intrigue.”

“President Trump and his entire Administration are focused on leading this whole-of-government response to slow the spread of COVID-19, expand testing capacities, and expedite vaccine development. The goal is for America to be healthy, prosperous, and again open for business, and that’s what we are all working toward,” said Judd Deere, deputy White House press secretary.

Moreover, it goes without stating that competing teams and factions have always been a hallmark of the Trump White House and this has harmed US government's efforts in fighting the unseen virus.

Indian Minister Jaishankar and Trump's Secy of State Pompeo

There are issues related to healthcare in the US. Trump's focus on mitigating the economic damage has kept health care on the back burner.


Health care was already a vulnerability for President Donald Trump before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Now his lack of a plan to fix the system is coming under a new microscope as the crisis costs many Americans their coverage and overwhelms providers.

The clarity in Trump's health care vision begins and ends with repealing the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, also known as Obamacare. His budget proposals would strip away funding for the law, and he has endorsed a lawsuit to wipe it off the books. But the president hasn't thrown his weight behind a replacement bill or even an outline, and he has rejected calls to reopen Obamacare for enrollment during the current crisis, says a write up in nbc news.

$ Pointers which could spoil Trump's political career graph.

President Trump’s reelection campaign was designed under the premise that the economy would be strong through November, but that’s not true anymore.

In 2018, the Trump administration dismantled a National Security Council directorate at the White House charged with preparing for when, not if, another pandemic would hit the nation.

 According to American foreign affairs analyst Fareed Zakaria, the failure is essentially due to the federal structure of the country.

Speaking exclusively with India Today News Director Rahul Kanwal, Fareed Zakaria said, "The American system is very decentralised -- the state only plays one part of the role in the societal response. And in that system when you do not have an actively engaged president and the White House, it is very difficult to get the state to function well."

"The federal government has many different departments, then there is the Congress, the White House and all 50 states and several layers of bureaucracy. In such a system, if the White House is not at the centre ensuring cooperation, it is very difficult to get anything done," Zakaria added.

US President Donald Trump has also come under criticism for not taking the threat of coronavirus seriously. Elaborating on the US President's failure, Fareed Zakaria said, "With Trump, you have a president who didn't believe the threat, disbanded important units and minimised the problem for long."

Hydroxychloroquine row: Trump calls Modi 'really Good'

"Extraordinary times require even closer cooperation between friends. Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ. Will not be forgotten! Thank you Prime Minister @NarendraModi for your strong leadership in helping not just India, but humanity, in this fight!" - Trump hails Modi help, 

SICKULARISM SNUBBED??

The joy of Modi bashers including the Congress and Left parties and a section of Indian intellectuals was short lived.

-Guest Writer Swati Deb

Ms Swati

Typical to his characteristic, US President Donald Trump diluted his stance vis-a-vis retaliation and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and called him 'great' yet again !

Sound & Light can always help fight virus: Indians resort to Hindu rituals against COVID19 amid fear of backlash among Muslims

Conch shells were blown, as in Hindu rituals, and firecrackers were burst as Indians overwhelmingly responded to a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to show India's unity and resolve to fight the Wuhan Virus. 

As urged by prime minster Modi, known for his radical pro-Hindu leanings, people switched off lights and came out on their roofs and balconies with their families and elders at the stroke of nine on Sunday night to light lamps, candles and mobile torches to rekindle the spirit of oneness and the national resolve to fight the pandemic.
The small but big event lasted for only nine minutes and perhaps created a history in its own right.

"Salute to our Prime Minister. By this small action of lighting lamps, he has given a bigger message of national unity and resolve," said country's Information Minister Prakash Javadekar.

However, among the political class it remained largely an affair of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party - wedded to the the Hindutva orientation of Rashtriya Sawemsevak Sangh (RSS). Even a section of Christian leaders sounded their categorical disapproval of such 'photo ops' and 'media management'.

"I am a citizen of the Republic of India, not a clown to perform to the tune of the ringmaster (a possible reference to the Prime Minister)," said Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christian (GCIC).

While who's who of Indian public life - film icons, sports stars and industrialists lit lamps and shared videos and snaps of their 'performing the poojas' on social network, Modi's appeal did not evoke much of a response in Christian-dominated states like Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram.

"Nine o' Clock in the evening is bit late in Mizoram. In many places, people had gone to sleep. Moreover, it was Sunday and people perhaps did not want to link themselves to a Hindu ritual whatever the reasons and causes behind these," said a resident in Aizawl.

"It was life as usual in north east," said a Guwahati-based educationist Raza Ansari, who also accused that in the pretext of exposing the faultline of a Muslim evangelical meet in Delhi, the Modi government and ruling BJP leaders have stoked religious tension by putting the entire blame of the virus attack in India on one particular religious minority group.

A report in 'Financial Times' said: "As India heads into its second week of a three-week lockdown that is causing particular hardship to the poor, analysts warned the BJP could stoke anti-Muslim sentiment to deflect public anger from the government’s failings in managing the crisis". 

Despite the typical Hindutva tag associated with the Light-the-Lamp ritual for nine minutes, Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai and Cardinal George Alencherry of Ernakulam-Angamali supported Modi's move.

Cardinal Gracias, at the end of his televised Palm Sunday liturgy, urged people to "come out" and light a candle or oil lamp following the call of the prime minister.

"Let us join all our neighbors in a show of solidarity, and make it also for us a moment of prayer. We are in Holy Week. We pray to God to bless our country, bless our families, and bless our communities," Cardinal Gracias said.

Nevertheless, there is no denying the fact that nearly 60 per cent of the 4000 plus corona affected people have been linked to the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz meet in Delhi. According to officials, the figure of COVID-19 cases till last Wednesday (April 1) in Delhi was 152 but the number shot up to 293 cases within 24 hours. Among them as many as 182 people are those who took part in the religious congregation in predominantly Muslim inhabited areas in Nizamuddin West.

As soon as the news about the Islamic cleric meet spread, there were at least six deaths in Telangana and all of them had attended the meet.

Prime Minister Modi on Friday morning had given a call for 9 minutes lighting of lamps and mobile torches trying to lead his countrymen and women to a unity of purpose at a time when anxiety over corona has scared people and hit the already struggling Indian economy.

"In this gloomy hour for the whole world, let us light up lamps & lighten the hearts & minds of people. This is the time to create positivity, hope & solidarity," tweeted spiritual and meditation guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar about an hour before the real 9 pm event.

However, Christian leader A C Michael, a former Member of Delhi Minorities Commission, said a large number of Indians ".....celebrated Diwali and once again displaying their skill of lighting over 1000 diyas (lamps) in a row on their terraces in large groups violating social distancing norms".

“I suggest that prime minister immediately announce free tests, isolate, treat and make PPE kits available in abundance. He also needs to come out with packages to take care of daily wagers and small scale industries," Michael said. 

“This prime minister is known for his media events and present situation has given him on a platter to do them more officially.  “Last time he had people coming out in crowd violating the social distance norm and displayed their skill of blowing ‘shanks’ taking out processions. 

“This time they went a step ahead and celebrated Diwali and once again displaying their skill of lighting over 1000 diyas in a row on their terraces in large groups violating social distancing norms. 

“Now that the prime minister seems to have started serious discussions with political leaders I hope he will come out with strategies to tackle with severely deteriorating both health and financial situations of our country. 

“I suggest that prime minister immediately announce free tests, isolate, treat and make PPE kits available in abundance. He also needs to come out with packages to take care of daily wagers and small scale industries.”

Another Christian leader Sajan K George sounded caustic and said, "We are being asked to perform antics. We want to know how many hospitals, ventilators, ICUs are ready. We want to know if COVID19 testing will be made accessible and affordable. The nation wants to know who and how the food and medical needs of the migrant workers are being addressed. How about the Govt. shedding light on these issues?"

Congress leader Sashi Tharoor, a Hindu, tweeted that Modi's call was no accident. He said the prime minister was "invoking all the auspicious elements of Hinduism associated with the number nine. Back to Ram Bharose?! (trusting Lord Ram)," the parliamentarian from Kerala wrote.

"India is simply not testing enough to fight the #Covid19 virus. Making people clap & shining torches in the sky isn't going to solve the problem," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had tweeted on Saturday.

In another missive on Sunday, Mr Gandhi wrote: "Without adequate equipments, a large number of health workers are being forced to put their lives in risk".

#Covid19 के विरुद्ध लड़ने वाले स्वास्थ्य क्षेत्र के डॉक्टर, नर्स, सफ़ाई कर्मचारी आदि सबका आभार व्यक्त करने के साथ ही, हमें ये भी याद रखना होगा कि अब तक सब को सुरक्षा उपकरण नहीं मिले हैं।बिना उपकरण के कई समर्पित कर्मचारी निरंतर जान जोखिम में डालने पर मजबूर हैं।
--- Rahul Gandhi

The Muslim clerics meet has alarmed Indian authorities.

Over 1,800 of them belonging to the Sunni group traced in various parts of the country are now in quarantine, officials say.

BJP leader Virendra Sachdeva denied that India's ruling party was trying to blame Muslims as a community.

"No one is targeting Muslims. But Tablighi Jamaat preachers are Muslims and it is well known that over 150,000 people attended such a Marzkaz outside Lahore in Pakistan last month and thus spread the virus across Pakistan as well".