The Covid-19 pandemic has presented before the world an unprecedented challenge. Most of the developed countries are struggling to cope with this mighty virus. Entire Europe, Canada, and the US are at the receiving as fatalities are rising. The unpredictable leadership of the US is on the back foot, a large part of Europe is in the ICU. They are facing this crisis because most countries made the mistake of not properly reading the Covid-19 threat and blindly believing in WHO guidelines and the information released by China. But, a point that occurs at this time is that as a responsible and vibrant democracy, India needs a responsible opposition leader in this crisis.
While fighting this pandemic, we are missing a leader of the opposition who can come up with a constructive critique which we certainly do not have. But that role has been reduced to Twitter jabs and wild allegations. For any country to improve its policies, you need a leader who can criticise the government's position with positive inputs which India has not seen.
Unlike most of the European countries, India has taken a route of prevention. It has taken its primary step in early January by banning Chinese airlines. After blocking China, some transmission has happened through Italy. But that too has been addressed. We have also blocked visitors from most European countries in very early stages. But some irresponsible behaviour from people who have returned from abroad, like the UK, has led to rise in cases. The Dubai route has also increased the transmission in southern states and it has brought the second batch of transmission. The overall response of the Indian states is excellent as they have restricted the transmission with very limited resources. The health professionals and most of the bureaucrats on the ground have risen to the occasion, displaying exemplary vision. Many district collectors are coming up with new strategies and innovations to stop the spread.
Some glitches too have occurred as we have seen the initial mismanagement of migrant labourers due to lack of coordination between states. The Tablighi Jamaat case is disappointing and discouraging, but these things happen when you deal with 1.3 billion people. It has increased the duration of the battle and has given some tough days to the administration, but India is dealing with the challenges. Where authorities are getting support, they are being amicable, but where they are facing resistance, they are not shying away from taking harsh action.
Even staunch critics are accepting that India under the leadership of Narendra Modi has demonstrated foresight and ability to inspire the common man in the time of crisis. The central government has shown flexibility in dealing with states though some have not cooperated fully.
As a principal opposition party leader, the current chief of the Congress is only limited to writing letters with a political tone that is not necessary for the time of the crisis. They mentioned that “The Financial Action Plan announced on March 25 was inadequate and left out several vulnerable sections of people”. However, it is not correct and the political dynasty of the grand old party is only busy ridiculing the ruling government. In earlier crises, the ruling leaders got the full support of opposition leaders. The political clan has refused to learn anything from the past and their recent losses. The Indian electorate does not like either negative campaign or negativity.
Unfortunately, the Congress has not offered anything apart from negativity in this battle. This crisis also shows that as a country we need a more robust central system which can deal with these kinds of situations. The existing federal system is yet to evolve and it has shown its weakness at this hour.
Former and likely future chief of the Congress party Rahul Gandhi once again lost an opportunity during Thursday's press conference. Following his Twitter jibes, he said that he is in support of the government in the time of the crisis. He asked the government to conduct more and more tests. It is not wise and feasible for a country like India to test everyone. The nation needs to search for some scientific method to conduct the tests within the available limited resources. There is no sense to compare India with South Korea and Japan because of the different realities in terms of demography and socio-economic issues
Some states and their leaders have shown leadership without considering political positions. States like Tripura, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have shown amazing determination to fight Covid-19. But some of the states under the spotlight have not performed as per expectations, including capital Delhi. States have to understand that they need to act fast and without thinking about publicity in these circumstances. PR buzz can only take you so far, but it is your work that establishes your image in the people’s mind.
There is no doubt that some people have risen to the occasion, but the Indian opposition, mainly Congress, could not utilise this situation. Both ruling and opposition parties have to understand that this is a defining moment for the country. They need to leave their political calculations aside and support the nation’s fight against the pandemic.
(The author is director of Center of Policy Research & Governance. Views expressed are personal.)
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