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Coronavirus: Trump halts funding for WHO, to review its role ‘covering up’ spread of contagion after it emerged in China

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Coronavirus: Trump halts funding for WHO, to review its role ‘covering up’ spread of contagion after it emerged in China

US President Donald Trump has suspended funding for the World Health Organisation (WHO) till a review is conducted to assess its role in mismanaging the Chinese coronavirus outbreak.

“Today I am instructing my administration to halt funding of the World Health Organisation while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organisation’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus. Everybody knows what is going on there. American taxpayers provide between 400-500 million dollars per year to the WHO and in contrast China contributes roughly 40 million dollars a year or even less. As the organisation’s leading sponsor, the United States has a duty to insist on full accountability. One of the most dangerous and and costly decisions from the WHO was its disastrous decision to oppose travel restrictions from China and other nations. They were very much opposed to what we did. Fortunately I was not convinced and suspended travel from China saving untold number of lives. Thousands and thousands of people would’ve died,” he said.

Coronavirus and the role of WHO

The United Nations body, World Health Organisation, has been under scanner for its alleged coverup of the spread of coronavirus which originated in China. It has been criticised globally for its alleged collusion with China which led to the coronavirus turn into a pandemic claiming lives of over 1 lakh people and infecting almost 20 million globally as of 15 April, 2020. Earlier, too, Donald Trump had criticised World Health Organisation and accused it of being ‘too focused on China’.

In January, WHO had endorsed the conclusion of Chinese authorities that the Novel Coronavirus does not spread from person to person, and had said that it does not recommend any specific health measures for travellers to and from Wuhan.

WHO also ignored Taiwan which had informed that it has evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus. Taiwan wrote to WHO on December 31 regarding this, but WHO was denying human-to-human transmission till mid-January. It may be noted that Taiwan has been denied membership of WHO due to objections of China, which considers the island nation as its territory.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Experts are of the view that this laxity and callousness is responsible for the catastrophe that has struck the world and that the organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, like China’s Xi Jinping, should be held accountable for recklessly managing this deadly pandemic.

Tedros was accused of covering up epidemics in his home country Ethiopia even while he was the health minister in the government days before he became the director of the WHO. A prominent global health expert, who was also an informal advisor to Tedros’s rival for the WHO top spot, had accused him of covering up three epidemics in Ethiopia.

Anti-CAA protestor Vinay Dubey who incited mob to gather near mosque in Bandra arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Anti-CAA protestor Vinay Dubey who incited mob to gather near mosque in Bandra arrested

Anti-CAA protestor Vinay Dubey who had incited a mob of migrant workers in Mumbai to gather at railway stations has been arrested by Mumbai Police. He was nabbed from Airoli in Navi Mumbai by Navi Mumbai Police. He was later taken to Bandra Police station by the Mumbai Police. Dubey has been arrested under IPC sections 117, 153 A, 188, 269, 270, 505 (2) and Section 3 of The Epidemic Diseases Act. He will be produced before a local court today.

Vinay Dubey

After Mumbai saw an outpouring of migrants on the streets on Tuesday in Bandra and Mumbra a video had surfaced where a man called Vinay Dubey can be seen inciting migrants to defy the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. The video was posted on his profile on Facebook on Saturday where he repeatedly makes the insinuation that it is better to die of the Wuhan Coronavirus than die of hunger.

A video was also posted on YouTube on the 14th of April, where he can be urging migrants to come out of the streets and gather at the Lok Manya Tilak Terminus. Not only in Mumbai, but he also urged migrants all across India to gather at the nearest railway station. He urged people to gather in lakhs on the streets and declared the beginning of a movement against the Central Government and the state governments. Vinay Dubey has now been arrested.

Bandra migrant crisis

Huge crowds of migrant workers burst onto the streets in Bandra and Mumbra in Mumbai on Tuesday demanding to go home amidst the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. In Bandra and Mumbra, the crowds demanded that the state government make arrangements for them to return home. In Bandra, the crowd gathered at Ahle Sunnat Sunni Raza Jama Masjid near Bandra station. Under such circumstances, requests were made in the name of Allah to not congregate in such large numbers and return to their homes.

Anti-CAA protestor had launched ‘agitation’ against lockdown, urged migrants to gather at Mumbai railway stations: All you need to know

OpIndia Staff
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Anti-CAA protestor had launched ‘agitation’ against lockdown, urged migrants to gather at Mumbai railway stations: All you need to know

Mumbai saw an outpouring of migrants on the streets on Tuesday in Bandra and Mumbra where the Police had to use light force in order to dispel the crowd and community leaders had to make appeals in the name of Allah. Now a video has surfaced where a man called Vinay Dubey can be seen inciting migrants to defy the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. The video was posted on his profile on Facebook on Saturday.

???? #सरकार को #आखरी_चेतावनी !!!???? ✅ यह #विडियो महाराष्ट्र मे #फंसे हर इंसान तक #पहुचाएँ जो #अपने_गाव_घर_परिवार मे #वापस जाना #चाहता है !! ???????????? #विनय_दुबे ????????????

Posted by Vinay Dubey on Saturday, 11 April 2020

In the video, Vinay Dubey says that he will lead a ‘padayatra’ of migrants to Uttar Pradesh. He urged migrants to contact him on WhatsApp and leave a message if they wish to follow on his path. He condemns Prime Minister Modi and the decision of the central government to impose the nationwide lockdown. He gave an ultimatum to the government to solve the matter within the 14th and 15th April and if it wasn’t, then the said padayatra will begin by the 20th of April.

Vinay Dubey repeatedly makes the insinuation that it is better to die of the Wuhan Coronavirus than die of hunger. He says the sole blame for it will lie with the Central and state governments. He also ensures that he will take care of their food along the way. He further says that they have only two options, either to die where they are or reach their families. He says that their children, parents, wives and village is waiting for them.

A video was also posted on YouTube on the 14th of April, where he can be urging migrants to come out of the streets and gather at the Lok Manya Tilak Terminus. Not only in Mumbai, but he also urged migrants all across India to gather at the nearest railway station. He urged people to gather in lakhs on the streets and declared the beginning of a movement against the Central Government and the state governments. Vinay Dubey also professed great love for Balasaheb Thackeray and exhorts Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray to heed to his demands. He claimed that if Balasaheb Thackeray were alive, then the Shiv Sena stalwart would have heeded to his demands.

Vinay Dubey had also visited Shaheen Bagh and made a speech where he made incendiary remarks. Social media users have pointed out that it could very well be that the Home Minister of Maharashtra Anil Deshmukh knows him personally.

Huge crowds of migrant workers burst onto the streets in Bandra and Mumbra in Mumbai on Tuesday demanding to go home amidst the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. In Bandra and Mumbra, the crowds demanded that the state government make arrangements for them to return home. In Bandra, the crowd gathered at Ahle Sunnat Sunni Raza Jama Masjid near Bandra station.

Those doubting response of India amidst Coronavirus outbreak, need to hear what Kevin Pietersen had said back on 1st April

OpIndia Staff
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Those doubting response of India amidst Coronavirus outbreak, need to hear what Kevin Pietersen had said back on 1st April

During a live chat session on Instagram with Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli on April 1, the former England captain, Kevin Pieterson gave a glimpse of how life is in the United Kingdom, which has suffered more damage than India at the hands of the novel coronavirus.

Comparing the preparedness of the United Kingdom as compared to India in tackling the pandemic, Pieterson had said: “At least in Delhi people were taking our temperature. Here in UK it has been very lackadaisical.” He recollected how when he reached Delhi on March 2, his temperature was checked and everything was checked at the airport before being allowed to leave for the hotel, which according to the cricketer is not being followed in his country.

Responding to Pieterson, Virat Kohli had praised the Indian government and the citizens for following the lockdown rules. He had expressed his grief over a section of people defying the guidelines of the 21-day lockdown in India which has been imposed to curb the rise of the novel coronavirus.

“Honestly our response has been quite good. Apart from few people who haven’t respected the guidelines.

“If you are looking to address a larger issue then there is this thing of unity that everyone should have. 80% of the people have followed the lockdown rules but the remaining 20% can cause big problems,” Kohli had said.

While India’s efforts to fight Coronavirus are being lauded both domestically and globally, there are these few woke liberals who have been sitting in the comforts of their drawing rooms doubting the merits of the decision India has been taking in tackling the pandemic. Everything, from India’s early handling of foreign travellers and airport protocols to testing strategies, ill-equipped healthcare workers, poor handling of migrant workers and meagre support for the industry, is being debated threadbare in such locked-down drawing rooms and overheated social media platforms.

However, for all such woke liberals who have been questioning India’s response to handling the coronavirus crisis, the former England cricket captain Kevin Pieterson’s revelation will surely be an eye-opener.

The death toll from coronavirus in the United Kingdom rose to 12,107. The British death toll is the fifth-highest globally and a senior scientific adviser to the government has said the country risks becoming the worst-hit in Europe. The total number of coronavirus cases have reached a staggering 93,873. India which is about 13 times bigger than the United Kingdom has recorded a total of 10,815 cases with 353 deaths.

Despite being the second-most populous country after China, India has taken extreme measures to avert catastrophe in the country. By extending the nationwide lockdown by another 19 days, India has mounted the largest attempted lockdown yet in the coronavirus crisis, ordering 1.3 billion people to stay at home for 40 days to prevent a public health disaster.

Mumbai: Community leader tries to convince migrant workers to not gather in such large numbers in the name of Allah

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai: Community leader tries to convince migrant workers to not gather in such large numbers in the name of Allah

Huge crowds of migrant workers burst onto the streets in Bandra and Mumbra in Mumbai on Tuesday demanding to go home amidst the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. In Bandra and Mumbra, the crowds demanded that the state government make arrangements for them to return home. In Bandra, the crowd gathered at Ahle Sunnat Sunni Raza Jama Masjid near Bandra station. Under such circumstances, requests were made in the name of Allah to not congregate in such large numbers and return to their homes.

In the video, the community leader can be heard saying that the troubles caused by the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic was the will of Allah and anyone who thought outherwise did not have Iman (a Muslim’s faith in Islam). He says that since it is the will of Allah, then it is the duty of the Musalman to cope with it to the best of his abilities. He further said that he understands their sentiments and the pain of separation from their family but emphasized the fact that it is a very serious threat that is affecting every country worldwide.

Bandra migrant crisis situation now peaceful, claims Mumbai Police

PRO DCP Ashok Nayak said that the migrants were unhappy with the lockdown being extended and wanted to go home. The incident occurred at around 4 pm and about 1500 people had gathered, he said. He also said that a section of the crowd turned violent due to which the Police was forced to employ light force. He stated that Police was still deployed in the area and the situation was peaceful.

It is unclear why the migrants were unhappy with the extension of the lockdown now given the fact that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had already announced a lockdown until the 30th of April three days earlier.

Home Minister Amit Shah expresses concern over migrant workers gathering in Bandra and Mumbra

Home Minister Amit Shah has reportedly spoken to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and expressed his concern over the matter. He has said that such incidents weaken India’s fight against the Wuhan Coronavirus and the state administration needs to remain vigilant over such matters. He also extended his full cooperation to the Maharashtra Chief Minister.

Not just the Bandra migrant workers gathering: Maharashtra govt’s mess in Coronavirus

Maharashtra has seen the highest number of coronavirus positive cases in the country with as many as 2,337 having reported positive as of 5 PM on April 14. The Maharashtra government, however, despite the PR stunts has not been able to contain the spread of the contagion. Moreover, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that the cases in Maharashtra may be under-reported, especially, due to the sheer incompetence of the Maharashtra government. While there are several things that the Maharashtra government has done right, for example, its outreach program to keep its people calm, there are several issues that have clearly come to the fore as well.

Junior Thackeray cannot pass the buck and blame central govt for migrant crisis in Bandra and Mumbra today: Here are 5 questions

OpIndia Staff
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Junior Thackeray cannot pass the buck and blame central govt for migrant crisis in Bandra and Mumbra today: Here are 5 questions

Following PM Modi’s announcement that the 21-days nationwide coronavirus lockdown has extended for another 19 days till May 3, a raft of migrant workers gathered at a mosque outside Bandra local station in Mumbai demanding to go back home, giving rise to yet another crisis in Maharashtra. Crowds swelled by the thousands at Ahle Sunnat Sunni Raza Jama Masjid near Bandra station in their bid to go to their respective home states.

However, soon after thousands gathered at the mosque nearby Bandra local station, potentially sabotaging the state’s fight against the highly contagious disease COVID-19, Aaditya Thackeray, son of Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, took to Twitter, to deflect the blame of his government’s incompetence in providing provisions to the migrant workers on to the central government.

Thackeray tweeted that the Union government is to be blamed for the situation that erupted at the Bandra local station. He claimed that the central government has been unable to arrange for a means for the migrant workers to travel back home, adding that the migrant workers in Mumbai don’t want food or shelter and that they only want to go back.

The junior Thackeray also claimed that the Maharashtra state government had asked the centre to allow the trains to run for 24 hours after passenger railway services were suspended to facilitate the migrant labours’ travel back to their homes.

However, Twitter users did not seem persuaded by Thackeray’s abject explanation. Many users pointed out how Uddhav Thackeray had assured migrant labours that all help will be extended to them and asked them to not leave Maharashtra. Others smelled a deliberate conspiracy behind the gathering of a large number of migrant labours suddenly at the Bandra station.

Columnist Shefali Vaidya, conjectured how the migrant workers did not flock to the Bandra station in the last 5 days when the Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray had announced the extension of the lockdown but suddenly after PM Modi made the announcement, thousands assembled at the mosque nearby the Bandra station demanding they be allowed to travel back to their native places.

Another Twitter user shared a screenshot of a report published in Financial Express in which Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray claims that he would provide all the assistance to migrant workers living in Mumbai and dissuaded them from leaving the city amidst coronavirus lockdown. Casting aspersions on Aaditya Thackeray, the Twitter user questioned how did the junior Thackeray conclude that the massive gathering outside the Bandra local station and not Bandra Terminus(from where the trains ply to other parts of the country) were of migrant labours.

Ankur Singh, a popular Twitter user, highlighted the glaring hypocrisy in the multiple claims made by Aaditya Thackeray amidst the migrant crisis in Bandra and Mumbra. Singh shared two contrasting tweets by Aaditya Thackeray to assert how he is being disingenuous in blaming the central government of the migrant crisis in Mumbai. On 29 March, 2020, Aaditya had posted a tweet saying that his father’s government had constantly endeavoured to stop the migration and provide them with proper aid and assistance. However, today Thackeray claimed that right from the day the passenger rail services were suspended, Uddhav Thackeray had been requesting the Prime Minister to allow their services for 24 hours for migrants to return home.

This incident in Bandra, where thousands of migrant labours gathered to go back home bears a stark resemblance to the migrant crisis in Delhi where despite extensive lockdown imposed in the national capital, migrants, in thousands, reached the Uttar Pradesh border and jeopardised the country’s battle against the coronavirus. It was later alleged that the state government in Delhi had fanned fears among the migrant workers by spreading rumours and lies. It was alleged that Arvind Kejriwal government had allegedly spread the rumour that buses have been waiting at the UP borders to take them to their respective households. This impelled the mass exodus of these migrant labourers, now camping at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, in an attempt to return to their respective villages.

Questions that the Maharashtra government must answer about the migrant crisis in Bandra and Mumbra

There are certain questions that emerge that the Uddhav Thackeray led Maharashtra government must answer regarding the migrant crisis in Bandra and Mumbra.

  1. Why did the migrant crowd gather outside the local station and not Bandra Terminus if it indeed wanted to return home?
  2. Since Uddhav Thackeray had already extended the lockdown period for two weeks, three days ago, then how can his government now blame the Modi government?
  3. When Thackeray had assured all assistance to migrant labours 2 weeks ago and even congratulated itself for its handling of the situation, how did the situation spiral out of control only today?
  4. How did a similar crowd gather at Mumbra where there is no such long route train connectivity?
  5. Is this narrative being spun simply to shift focus from the abysmal handling of Coronavirus in Maharashtra and blame the central government?

It is also pertinent to note that Maharashtra has been the worst-affected state by the coronavirus crisis, topping the list of states with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country. The state’s capital, Mumbai, has emerged as a hotbed for the virus, which has registered more than 1500 cases from the state total of 2300. In such a scenario, the gathering of thousands of migrant worker at a mosque outside Bandra local station, in defiance to the lockdown restrictions, could further exacerbate the coronavirus crisis in the city.

Coronavirus fight: Modi govt sets up 20 control rooms to address wage issues, amidst nationwide lockdown extension

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus fight: Modi govt sets up 20 control rooms to address wage issues, amidst nationwide lockdown extension

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Labour announced that it had set up 20 control rooms under the Office of Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) to address wage-related issues and other problems that are being faced by daily-wage migrant workers, amidst the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak. On April 14, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the extension of the lockdown until May 3, 2020.

Role of the Control Rooms set up to address wage-related issues amidst Coronavirus lockdown

Migrant workers who work as daily wage labourers across India are faced with job loss and pay cuts owing to the lockdown. As per reports, 40 crore people working in the informal sector may be affected during this period.

As such, the 20 control rooms set up by the Union Government across India will help in resolving wage-related issues of the workers by coordinating with respective State Governments. The migrant labourers can reach out to these control rooms via Whatsapp, phone and even email. The Ministry of Labour had earlier appealed to private employers to refrain from laying off employees or trimming their wages.

While the overall functioning of these control rooms will be supervised by the Chief Labour Commissioner, these centres would be run and managed by labour enforcement officers, regional labour commissioners, assistant labour commissioners, and deputy chief labour commissioners. All officials have been instructed to treat the workers in a humane manner and provide immediate relief to them.

Disbursement of cash

On April 3, the Department of Financial Services appealed to PMJDY women account holders to check the last digit of their account number and follow the schedule shared below to visit banks or Bank Mitras to maintain social distancing during the nation-wide lockdown.

The Ministry of Rural Development had earlier released the lump sum amount of Rs 500 per woman to the 20.39 crore Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts for April 2020. The women PMJDY account holders having account number with the last digit as 0 or 1 withdrew money from the banks on April 3, 2019.

Similarly, the women PMJDY account holders having account number with the last digit as 2 or 3 withdrew money on April 4. The beneficiaries with an account number ending with 4 or 5 visited banks on April 7. On similar lines, women with bank accounts ending with 6 or 7 visited banks on April 8. Finally, the account holders ending with 8 or 9 withdrew money from their banks on April 9. Banks accordingly phased out the credit to beneficiary accounts.

UP’s Sambhal which had zero coronavirus cases so far, reports eight positive cases in two days, five linked to Tablighi Jamaat

OpIndia Staff
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UP’s Sambhal which had zero coronavirus cases so far, reports eight positive cases in two days, five linked to Tablighi Jamaat

The Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh, which had so far remained untouched by the coronavirus infection has reported 8 positive cases in a span of two days, impelling the authorities to declare the Sarai Tarin locality in Sambhal as a Coronavirus hotspot, thereafter sealing the area. According to reports five of these eight cases had visited the Tablighi Jamaat congregation which emerged as the coronavirus hotspot in the country.

Dr Amita Singh, Chief Medical Officer of Sambhal, confirmed that out of the eight, two people have been admitted to a hospital in Moradabad on Monday while the other six cases which were confirmed on Tuesday were admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Lucknow.

This sudden surge has forced local authorities to immediately seal the area declaring it a coronavirus hotspot. Soon the local administration will be sanitising the Sarai Tarin locality. The residents have been ordered not to venture out of their respective houses.

While one person had a travel history to Saudi Arabia, other five had reportedly attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi’s Nizamuddin Markaz. According to officials, a total of 11, including these 5 positive cases, from Sambhal district had visited the Tablighi Jamaat event in the national capital last month.

Novel Coronavirus in India has doubled in the last couple of days crossing the 10,000 mark. The Tablighi Jamaat congregation has prolonged the entire process of containment of the deadly Wuhan coronavirus in the country, compelling the government to extend the nationwide lockdown by another 19 days.

The Uttar Pradesh health department said that 75 new coronavirus cases were reported in the state on April 13 Monday, including 35 related to Tablighi Jamaat. The total number of positive cases in the state stands at 558.

Coronavirus Outbreak: After Bandra, Mumbra in Mumbai sees huge migrant crowds on the streets defying lockdown

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus Outbreak: After Bandra, Mumbra in Mumbai sees huge migrant crowds on the streets defying lockdown

A huge crowd of migrant workers had gathered at the Ahle Sunnat Sunni Raza Jama Masjid near Bandra station in Mumbai demanding to go home. Mumbai Police was forced to resort to lathi-charge the crowd in order to contain it. Now, similar crowds are being reported from Mumbra. The crowd demanded that the state government arrange for transportation to their homes amidst the nationwide lockdown in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic.

As per PTI, Senior inspector Khanya Thorat of the Mumbra police station managed to pacify the migrant crowd and convince them to return to their living quarters after a couple of hours. Meanwhile, it is reported that Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray regarding the outpouring of migrants on to the street.

Maharashtra govt’s mess in coronavirus

Maharashtra has seen the highest number of coronavirus positive cases in the country with as many as 2,337 having reported positive as of 5 PM on April 14. The Maharashtra government, however, despite the PR stunts has not been able to contain the spread of the contagion. Moreover, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that the cases in Maharashtra may be under-reported, especially, due to the sheer incompetence of the Maharashtra government. While there are several things that the Maharashtra government has done right, for example, its outreach program to keep its people calm, there are several issues that have clearly come to the fore as well.

Assorted ‘liberals’ quote a 15-day old tweet to allege Cabinet Secretary was unaware of the recent coronavirus lockdown extension

OpIndia Staff
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Assorted ‘liberals’ quote a 15-day old tweet to allege Cabinet Secretary was unaware of the recent coronavirus lockdown extension

In his address to the nation this morning, PM Modi announced that in the view of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, the lockdown in the country has been extended by 19 days till May 3. The decision to extend the lockdown was taken after reviewing how the country fared in containing the virus in the last 20 days of lockdown.

PM Modi reasoned that in the absence of a vaccine or an antidote to the novel coronavirus, the nationwide lockdown remains the only efficacious method that drastically reduces the potency of the virus and prevents the country’s public health system from being overrun. PM Modi added that even advanced countries such as Italy, Spain, The US and China, which are in the thrall of the coronavirus, have no option but to enforce stringent restrictions and extensive social distancing measures to blunt the spread of the contagion.

However, even at this critical juncture, so-called liberals managed to find a way to ridicule the Modi government. Blinded by Modi hatred, they quoted a 15-days-old claim made by the Cabinet Secretary regarding the extension of the lockdown to assert that the decision to extend the lockdown was taken unilaterally by the Prime Minister and that the Cabinet Secretary was not kept in the loop before making the announcement.

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on March 30 said that he was surprised to see reports of the lockdown being extended doing the rounds in the media. March 30 was barely a week after the three-week nationwide lockdown was announced. Moreover, it was also two-weeks prior to the 3-week deadline. As any logical person would say, it would be too soon to announce an extension of lockdown with 2/3rd of the time period left.

However, after PM Modi declared today that the lockdown will be extended till May 3, liberals deceptively quoted Gauba’s 15-days old statement to contend that he was unaware about the decision made by the PM today.

Alt News co-founder, Mohammed Zubair, known for having a chequered history of sharing fake news and making dubious assertions, quoted the ANI tweet from March 30 and mocked Cabinet Secretary Gauba stating if he is still surprised by the decision to extend the lockdown. It is important to note that here Zubair is alluding that PM Modi took the decision of extending the lockdown on his own without consulting with the cabinet or the healthcare authorities.

AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair’s tweet

Pro-Congress bot ‘Sonali Ranade’ shared the same old ANI tweet to deride the Cabinet Secreatary. “Our Cabinet Secretary is so well informed,” the bot tweeted.

Sonali Ranade whose actual existence is often questioned

Congress leader Jaiveer Shergill made a stunning fool of himself by sharing the tweet from March 30 where in Cabinet Secretary expressed mild surprise over the reports of lockdown extension. Comparing Cabinet Secretary’s consciousness from March 30 to the decision to extend lockdown made after 15 days, Jaiveer alleged that there is no coordination between different leaders in the Modi government and mocked them for asking people to express their gratitude and solidarity to the healthcare, emergency and police officials involved in battling the coronavirus on the front lines.

Congress leader Jaiveer Shergill

Former student leader associated with Congress, Angellica Aribam, also quoted the same tweet saying one should never place his/her trust in bureaucrats.

Congressis displaying their lack of comprehensive skills

NDTV journalist Nidhi Razdan too partook in criticising the Cabinet Secretary for not being clairvoyant enough to have known about the lockdown extension in the foreseeable future. She quoted the old tweet with a maxim- “Never say never”

Nidhi Razdan

Another so-called journalist, Radhakrishnan RK, who could not find as basic a thing as when the tweet was posted, quoted the old tweet to claim Gauba, being the Cabinet Secretary of the Government of India, has no clue about the lockdown extension.

Radhakrishnan’s tweet

Perhaps, according to the ‘liberal’ wisdom, a country’s response to a pandemic should be entirely static, with no dynamic component in it. This explains why they fell over themselves to share an obsolete tweet from the last month to claim that the Cabinet Secretary of the Government of India was completely oblivious of the lockdown extension announced by PM Modi this morning.

The scourge of coronavirus in India, as well as across the world, dictates the governments to remain agile and nimble while confronting the contagion. The coronavirus has a potential to rapidly ravage a country, evident from the catastrophes witnessed in Italy, Spain and currently in the United States. In fact, the danger the virus poses is best illustrated by the alarming rise in the number of cases in India by a ‘Single Source Event’- Tablighi Jamaat congregation which catapulted India almost to the brink of disaster.

When the nemesis is invisible, insidious and incurable, one needs to calibrate his decisions dynamically, based on the ground situation and feedback from the officials involved at the front lines, rather than taking decisions 15-days in advance. However, given the way liberals have targeted Cabinet Secretary and PM Modi, one can scarcely expect them to comprehend the granular details of a country’s response to a pandemic. Perhaps, for liberals, censuring Modi government prevail over the nation’s battle against the coronavirus.

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