Confident CM
Though the State sponsored jamboree on completion of three years in office of Trivendra Singh Rawat government in the Himalayan state was jeopardised by the threat posed by the novel Coronavirus, the Uttarakhand CM is exuberating greater confidence in his action and body language these days than any time during in his three year long stint. The declaration of Gairsain as summer capital of Uttarakhand which at least partially fulfilled long held aspiration of the people of the hill state reflected this self-assurance of his and underlined his ability to take tough decisions. Most recently, he also showed guts (though belatedly) to take the bold measure of removing reservation in promotion in government jobs. CM’s firm assertion that he has freed the fourth floor (CM office) from the clutches of mafia also underlies his unwavering confidence. Though there can be a debate on the achievements and failure of TSR government in these three years, the CM has remained more or less free from any personal taint. There is no doubting the fact that in these three years, TSR has been able to keep the bunch of perennial political troublemakers into a tight lease.
Combating Corona
Enough has been said and written about novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) which so far has spread to 159 countries of the world and which the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared as pandemic. The microscopic COVID-19 however has shown it to the human race- which in pursuit of excellence for its self defined set of goals had the delusion of having conquered the nature- in no uncertain terms about frailty and fallacy of its sense of superiority. Alternatively the scare created by the dreaded disease has also brought the human race closer and has again brought into fore the fighting spirit and never say die attitude of humans. Indian government has so far taken appreciable and bold measures in its pursuit of controlling the spread of disease in the country. Experts opine that next two weeks would be very crucial for a country teeming with 1.36 billion people. The key for success in this grave battle with an invisible enemy is public cooperation as it is the only way for stopping the community level spread of the virus. One should be extremely cautious without becoming panicky and adopt measures like regular hand wash, sanitisation and maintain social distancing. Any symptoms of the disease should be promptly shared with the doctors and their directives including the isolation or quarantine should be strictly followed.
Anticlimax
Overzealousness shown by a prominent politician belonging to the Congress party proved costly when the administration put him into quarantine at his home for going inside an isolation facility where a patient suffering from Coronavirus infection was recuperating. This politician who loves to remain in the thick of things and has an uncanny ability to grab space in media made the error of entering the COVID-19 ward of Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) hospital during a visit. As he usually does, the Netaji had informed media persons beforehand about his plans to conduct a reality check for preparedness of COVID-19. After the visit, the Netaji fired salvo on the administration for showing no concern and lacking in preparedness for combating the dreaded disease. However his attempts to garner political brownie points backfired when the administration sent him to quarantine for being exposed to the dreaded virus.