A crisis of confidence grips the nation. The second wave of Covid19 has exposed the lack of preparedness on the part of the central government in dealing with the pandemic. This, despite the long haul of a year, after the nation first faced the onslaught of the deadly virus. An unpredictable situation was at hand then. But warnings about the second wave and of the mutations of the Chinese-induced virus in more lethal forms were in the air. Both proved to be true and India’s principal cities are faced with the grim realities of shortage of hospital beds, ventilators and worst of all the non-availability of oxygen. Those who ran the nation obviously threw caution to the winds and carried on uncaringly with election campaigns.
Even otherwise, as in Delhi or Mumbai, the relaxation of Covid control norms resulted in a worsening of the scenarios. It is also likely that the large-scale arrivals from foreign countries to these cities on a daily basis could have spread new and stronger variations of the virus that spread faster. The realization by now is also that the virus can spread by air, which means a larger sweep.
The lack of preparedness to face a health crisis of the present kind and relaxations allowed in terms of social controls against the pandemic spread meant that the central government has failed to rise to the occasion. Big talks alone will not help when it comes to governance. The results have to be seen on the ground.
Clearly, the BJP and the face of the party in the form of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a huge hit. Link this with the political scenario as it exists now. The polls to the five assemblies are a pointer to the way things are shaping up. BJP that ruled Assam for five years has not improved its position in the state assembly. Over and above this, a big internal fight has erupted over two contending sides for the CM post. This apart, the party’s goal of grabbing power in West Bengal did not materialize. Aside of Puducherry, the party failed to improve its position in both Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
In states where the BJP is in power, as in Assam, the chief ministers failed to impress. This was proven in Maharashtra and Haryana. It is still a touch-and-go in Madhya Pradesh. Hence regional satraps including Mamata Banerjee will now begin a new push for power in Delhi with the 2024 LS polls in mind. The Congress has failed to learn any lessons from its repeated failure to win any state yet is unwilling to shift gears and rebuild its image. A major shift in the wheels of fortune is likely in 2024 as people realise they need hospitals more than temples.