Round The States
New Delhi, 10 April
2021
Centre-States Pow Wow
MARS VACCINATION DRIVE
By Insaf
An unsavoury slugfest between the Centre and Opposition States over
Covid vaccination is the last thing that the country needs to be embroiled in.
Unacceptable! Allegations of vaccine shortage by Maharashtra, Delhi,
Chhattisgarh, and Punjab have not gone down
well with New Delhi. “Vaccine supplies are being monitored on a real-time
basis, and State governments are being apprised regularly about it,” has
reacted Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. He claimed the charges were “utterly
baseless”, particularly in Maharashtra and ‘nothing but an attempt to divert
attention from its repeated failures to control the spread of pandemic.’The State had said that it had 13 lakh doses of Covaxin and these would
last just 3 days. Vardhan also hit out at Delhi’s request foropening up
vaccination to everyone above 18 years of age saying goal posts are being
changed to camouflage their poor performance in the vaccination drive. A
pointer was vaccination of health care workers. Maharashtra has done only 86%,
Delhi 72% and Punjab 64 per cent with the first dose. In comparison 10
States/UTs have done over 90%.
Vardhan also hit out at Chhattisgarh saying that comments of its leaders
on efficacy of the Covaxin vaccine was a deliberate move to ‘spread
misinformation and panic’ and that it would be better if the State government ‘focusses
its energies on ramping up their health infrastructure rather than on petty
politicking.’ Though he chose to single out Chhattisgarh on this front, reports
say that there are at least 14 States, including BJP-ruled Goa and Himachal
Pradesh, which have refrained from using a single dose of Covaxin in their vaccination
drive. No words or reprimand for them? It must win confidence of all in this
battle against Covid. It’s not enough to warnthat the situation is getting
worse, with the country recording 13.1 million cases, and next four weeks being
‘very very critical’, and expressing ‘maximum concern’ over rival governments.
It must remember the adage a stitch in time saves nine. Politics in the times
of Covid is certainly not touché.
* * * *
Bengal-EC Row
Election Commission has more on its plate than bargained for. The
incorrigible West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee takes it on. Two
notices have been issued one after another to Didi for violating the Model Code
of Conduct during rallies. One, her utterances on Central paramilitary forces,
where she accused those on poll duty of functioning under Centre’s instructions,
committing excesses and the EC was turning a blind eye, invited a stern rebuke.
Stating these as “completely false and provocative,” the poll body has asked
for an explanation by today, else she would face stiff action as her remarks were “causing extreme
demoralisation amongst the ranks and file of these forces.” Two, she was served
notice for appealing to minority voters not to divide their votes between
different political parties. True to her style, she shot back with: “Why is
that no complaint has been filed against Narendra Modi, who talks about Hindu
and Muslim (vote banks) every day? How many complaints have been lodged against
those who had uttered the word ‘mini Pakistan’ during the Nandigram campaigns.”
Worse, she told the EC that it could issue 10 show-cause notices, but her reply
would be the same, “I will always speak
against any division of Hindu and Muslim votes.’ Predictably, all eyes are on
Nirvachan Sadan how it tames the Bengal tigress, with five phases of elections
due.
* * * *
Setback for MVA
There’s no respite for the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the high
profile corruption case against its former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. It’s
far from over as it had claimed last week. On Thursday last, the Supreme Court dismissed
its petitionand one filed by Deshmukh challenging Bombay High Court order for a
‘preliminary inquiry’ by CBI into allegations levelled by former Mumbai police
commissioner Param Bir Singh. The two-judge bench said: ‘nature of allegations,
the personas involved and seriousness of allegations do require an independent
agency to enquire into the matter. It is a matter of public confidence given
the factual scenario…what has been directed is only a preliminary enquiry
albeit by an independent agency.” Deshmukh’s counsel had argued the HC order
would ‘affect federal structure’ as the State had already withdrawn general
consent to CBI to probe cases in its territory. But the apex court was firm: ‘the
two personas involved… were closely working together till they fell apart, both
holding a particular position. Then should the CBI not investigate?...This is
not your enemy who has made these allegations, but almost your right-hand man’.It
also ruled out a case of ‘political rivalry’ as alleged by MVA government saying
the Centre uses the CBI, not independent, just to settle scores. With that
issue settled, all eyes shall now be on CBI’s preliminary enquiry. A
fortnight turns out to be along harrowing wait indeed.
* * * *
Tripura Wakes Up
Tripura seems to have finally woken up it’snot immune to the corona
virus and the government is getting its act together. Now, so late? Guess, the
realisation dawned only after none other Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb tested positive for Covid-19. There’s a flurry of activity and government has now issued
restrictions to control the spread of virus specially in its offices. The list
includes: a maximum of 20 persons can attend official meetings; they should sit
at least one metre apart; must follow
protocols such as wearing of masks, carrying hand sanitizers and visitors
would now be allowed entry with prior permission only.It now sees the need to
order that wearing of masks or face shields are mandatory at offices and public
places and anyone found not wearing a mask will be fined. Insaf recalls
its visit to Agartala in early February and to its horror found that Covid
protocols were hardly in place. An oft heard response was ‘there’s no Covid
here!’ The north-east being ‘different’ came into play. Even in Guwahati, the
response was similar. In comparison to other States, Tripura has just ‘70
people under treatment for Covid’ and the positivity rate is a mere 5.19%, as
per the State Covid control room. Be that as it may, it must enforce the
guidelines it has woken up to and not miss the woods for the trees.
* * * *
No Monkey Business
It’s no monkey
business, be on your guard. A warning which should go out from the Delhi police
after it nabbed two robbers, who used their pet monkeys to make good by attacking
people and then robbing them. The two men in their twenties were caught on
Thursday lastalong with their monkeys in South Delhi. An accomplice is on the
run. The modus operandi was simple: the monkeys were trained to ‘threaten’ the
victims by shrieking and jumping and when they succeeded in the victim
panicking and screaming for help, these men would snatch their wallets or
phones. On Thursday luck ran out. The three
men had gone to a market with monkeys, who targeted a man, and the three made
him sit in an auto, instructed the monkeys to sit beside him, and then robbed
him of Rs 6000. But they got arrested thanks to security camera footage. It
emerges that they were earning a living by playing instruments at weddings and
other events. But three months ago they had a better idea. They caught the
monkeys from the Tughlakabad Fort Jungle and ingeniously used them to make that
extra buck. No longer as monkeying around got the better of them!---INFA
(Copyright, India
News & Feature Alliance)
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