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झारखंड के तीन कोरोना योद्धाओं पर एक अधिकारी कर रहें मनमानी, तमाशा देख रहे आला अधिकारी, मंत्री और सरकार

रांची: पूरा भारत अभी कोरोना की दूसरी लहर झेल रहा है, झारखंड भी इससे जूझ रहा है, पर देवघर के तीन कोरोना योद्धाओं (प्रशिक्षित पारा-वेट्स) जिन्होंने कोरोना के पहली लहर में महत्वपूर्ण रोल अदा किया था, उन्हे न सिर्फ दस महीने के काम के पैसे नहीं दिए, बल्कि काम से भी निकाल रहे है।

हेमंत सरकार दे रही एक्सट्रा सैलरी, अधिकारी निकाल रहे काम से

ये सब हो रहा है, झारखंड के पशुपालन मंत्री बादल पत्रलेख के गृह ज़िला देवघर में। पीड़ितों ने संबन्धित अधिकारियों, पशुपालन मंत्री और मुख्यमंत्री हेमंत सोरेन तक को लिखा था।

इस बीच मुख्यमंत्री ने कोरोना योद्धाओं के लिए एक महीने के बोनस वेतन की भी घोषणा की। पर जहां हर विभाग की तरह पशुपालन विभाग में भी कर्मचारियों की बहुत कमी है पर फिर भी इन पारा-वेट्स को निकाला जा रहा है।

झारखंड कोरोना योद्धा jharkhand corona yoddha covid-19 adhikari

आरटीआई में गलत जवाब

“हम लोगों ने आला अधिकारों को लिखा, मंत्री, मुख्यमंत्री को भी लिखा पर अब तक कुछ भी नहीं हुआ। हमारी जॉइनिंग राज्य सरकार के आदेश पे ही हुआ था और फिर बाद में भी इसका आदेश अभी के मंत्रालय सेक्रेटरी अबू बकर ने द्वारा आया है। पर ज़िला पशुपालन अधिकारी संजय कुमार जॉइनिंग को भी सही नहीं मानते, और एक आरटीआई के जवाब में अभी के सेक्रेटरी के जवाब को भी नकार चूके है,” पारा-वेट् पूरन कुमार राऊत ने बताया।

राऊत के अलावा, अनीश हाशमी और गुनाधार दास भी हैं जिनका न सिर्फ कोरोना काल का काम का पैसा विभाग ने नहीं दिया पर उन्हे अब काम से भी हटा दिया जा रहा।

झारखंड कोरोना योद्धा jharkhand corona yoddha covid-19 adhikari
मंत्रालय का आदेश 2020-21 के लिए

कोरोना योद्धा मानने से इंकार, पर अपने विभाग के अधिकारी पर कार्रवाई को नहीं लिखेंगे

जब ईन्यूज़रूम ने देवघर ज़िला पशुपालन अधिकारी संजय कुमार से बात की तो, उन्होने तीनों प्रशिक्षित पारा-वेट्स को कोरोना योद्धा मानने से ही इंकार कर दिया। और उनके द्वारा किए काम को अब मान ही नहीं रहे हैं और आरटीआई में दिये गलत जवाब को भी सही बता रहे, “मेरे पास मंत्रालय के सेक्रेटरी (अबू बक़र) की कोई चिट्ठी भी नहीं है जिसमे ये बोला गया के पारा-वेट्स से काम लेते रहना है 2020-21 में,” संजय कुमार ने कहा।

तीनों प्रशिक्षित पारा-वेट्स की जॉइनिंग 2019 में ज़िला पशुपालन अधिकारी डॉ नीलग्राइस टोपपो के कार्यकाल में हुई थी।

पर अब कुमार, इनके जॉइनिंग को ही गलत ठहरा रहें है। लेकिन जब ये सवाल पूछा गया के अगर आप पारा-वेट्स के वेजेस को रोक रहें हैं उनकी जॉइनिंग गलत बता कर तो किया आपने जिस अधिकारी ने जॉइनिंग कारवाई उनके ऊपर भी कार्रवाई के लिए लिखे हैं मंत्रालय को, तो कुमार के पास कोई जवाब नहीं था।

झारखंड कोरोना योद्धा jharkhand corona yoddha covid-19 adhikari

सरकार का आदेश, बकाया भुगतान का

अब 10 मई को मुख्यमंत्री कार्यालय से एक आदेश जारी हुआ है के जो भी कर्मचारी अनुबंध और दैनिक मजदूरी में सेवा दे रहे है झारखंड के विभिन्न विभागों में उनका जो भी बकाया हो उसका भुगतान जल्द से जल्द करे अधिकारी और 25 मई तक सरकार को बताएं।

अब देखना ये होगा के देवघर ज़िला पशुपालन अधिकारी हेमंत सोरेन सरकार के इस आदेश को भी मानते हैं या नहीं, या अपने मंत्रालय की चिट्ठी की तरह इसे भी मिलने से इंकार कर देते हैं।

ये भी बता दे के, जहां झारखंड सरकार लोगों की ज्यादा से ज्यादा रोजगार का वादा करती है, और इन प्रशिक्षित पारा-वेट्स को सरकार कोई स्थायी नौकरी भी नहीं दे पाई, पर जो एक सहारा दैनिक मजदूरी के द्वारा मिला था उसे भी कुमार जैसे अधिकारी ख़त्म कर देने पे अमादा हैं और मंत्री जी को फुर्सत नहीं अपने गृहज़िला में हो रहे न इंसाफ़ी को देखने की, न सरकार को पड़ी है मामले को देखे और कोरोना के दूसरे लहर में प्रशिक्षित पारा-वेट्स जो कोरोना योद्धा है उनकी सेवा ले।

CBI picks up Trinamul ministers, MLA in connection with Narada scam

Kolkata: Within a fortnight of the election results in Bengal, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) picks up Two Trinamul Congress ministers, an MLA and a former mayor of Kolkata and brought them to its office on Monday morning in connection with the five-year-old Narada scam.

The Kolkata Mayor and the state transport and housing minister Firhad Hakim, panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee, Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra and former mayor Sovan Chatterjee were brought to Nizam Palace (CBI office in Kolkata) a little after 9 am for questioning in connection with the television sting in which several politicians and police officers were caught on camera allegedly accepting bribes from a fictitious company.

Soon after the Bengal election results, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was claiming to win more than 200 seats but gets drubbing, made its intention clear to not respect the mandate of the people of Bengal and will disturb Mamata Banerjee government. So soon after the results, when political violence took place and in which both sides—TMC and BJP cadres, as well as supporters, were killed BJP leaders circulated several fake news and images giving it a communal turn. Later Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar visited violence-affected families, even went to Assam which was again seen as interfering Mamata government during the Covid pandemic.

But, on Monday morning, the step CBI took, clearly indicates the vendetta politics of BJP during the pandemic.

Sources said West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had given the nod to prosecute the ministers. Charge sheets are scheduled to be filed against the four accused in the CBI court on Monday, they added, and that the four were brought in for questioning on Monday morning.

Before leaving his Chetla residence, which was surrounded by personnel of the central forces, Hakim said he had been arrested.

“CBI arrested me in the Narada sting operation. I have been arrested without any prior notice,” he said before boarding a CBI vehicle. “I will challenge this in court.”

People on social media are reacting sharply to the development and claimed that arresting Firhad Hakim, who is Kolkata Mayor too, will directly impact the much-needed vaccination drive in the state capital.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too has reached the CBI office.

“I came to meet them,” Mamata told newspersons upon reaching there, but sources close to her said she has vowed to stay put till such time the CBI released her party leaders.

However, the CBI is yet to issue a statement.

Many of the names that came up in connection with the scam are now prominent faces of the BJP in Bengal and elsewhere.

The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI inquiry into the scam in March 2017. Charge sheets were filed against 13 leaders and other functionaries of the Trinamul Congress.

The accused leaders also include Hemanta Biswa Sharma, who has joined BJP and now sworn-in Assam chief minister. Suvendhu Adhikari, who has also switched sides and joined the Saffron brigade, is now the leader of the opposition party (LOP) in the Bengal assembly. Mukul Roy, also now an MLA of BJP.

For these five years, the BJP was accused of using the Narada sting to further its political interests in the state, where it fought a high-pitched campaign during the recently concluded Assembly polls but fell far short of the majority mark.

Meanwhile, protests by TMC workers have started not only before the CBI office in Kolkata but before Raj Bhavan against Governor Jagdeep Dhankar as well as in many districts in Bengal. There are lockdown-like restrictions in the state since yesterday morning but after hearing the news of arresting of their party leaders, the caders are hitting the streets and reaching the CBI office and Raj Bhavan to register their anger against the action.

गायत्री मंत्र से कोरोना का उपचार और भारत में विज्ञान का भविष्य

कोरोना महामारी से जब जीवनरक्षक दवाइयों और ऑक्सीजन की कमी से देश भर में रिकार्ड मौते हो रही हैं और हर दिन साढ़े तीन से चार लाख लोग संक्रमित हो रहे हैं तब सरकार से यह अपेक्षा की जाती है कि वह ऐसे खतरनाक वायरस से लोगों को निजात दिलाने के लिए यदि कोई अनुसंधान करे तो उसका आधार विज्ञान हो।

दूसरी तरफ, पिछले दिनों भारत सरकार के विज्ञान-प्रौद्योगिकी मंत्रालय ने जो निर्णय लिया है वह विचित्र किंतु सत्य है। यह मंत्रालय कोरोना के मरीजों पर एक ऐसी स्टडी के लिए वित्तीय मदद देने जा रहा है जिसमें पता लगाया जाएगा कि गायत्री मंत्र के जाप और प्राणायाम से क्या कोरोना का उपचार किया जा सकता है। जिसे यह स्टडी करनी है वह भी कोई मामूली संस्थान नहीं है, बल्कि ऋषिकेश स्थित एम्स यानी भारतीय आयुर्विज्ञान संस्थान है जहां के विशेषज्ञ तकरीबन 20 कोरोना मरीजों को इस स्टडी के लिए शामिल करेंगे।

इसके लिए 10-10 मरीजों को दो समूहों में बांटा जाएगा और पहले समूह के मरीजों को सामान्य उपचार के साथ गायत्री मंत्र का जाप और प्राणायाम कराया जाएगा, जबकि दूसरे समूह के मरीजों को सिर्फ सामान्य उपचार दिया जाएगा। सुपरवाइजिंग के लिए योग विशेषज्ञों की टीम रहेगी जो मरीजों पर गायत्री मंत्र और प्राणायाम का असर देखेगी और उनमें थकान के साथ मानसिक तनाव को लेकर रिसर्च करेगी। एक अच्छी बात यह है कि इस स्टडी में कोरोना के गंभीर मरीजों को शामिल नहीं किया जाएगा।

कोरोना का उपचार

ऐसे समय जब हमारा देश कोरोना की दूसरी लहर की चपेट में आकर अभूतपूर्व संकट से गुजर रहा है और मरीजों की संख्या लाखों में पहुंच चुकी है तब सवाल है कि सरकार इस किस्म की कवायदों पर अपने संसाधन खर्च क्यों कर रही है जिसका कि आधार ही अवैज्ञानिक है। वहीं, किसी भी महामारी के समय सरकार का जिम्मा होता है कि वह वैज्ञानिक चेतना को प्रोत्साहित करे जिससे लोग किसी तरह के भ्रम में न रहें। लेकिन, इतनी बड़ी मुसीबत के बावजूद समुदाय के भीतर के कुछ धड़े कभी गाय के गोबर के कंडे जलाने तो कभी गौ-मूत्र के सेवन या फिर गंगा-जल के उपयोग से कोरोना भागने के झूठे दावे कर रहे हैं। इसी क्रम में अब दो कदम आगे बढ़कर विज्ञान-प्रौद्योगिकी जैसा मंत्रालय गायत्री मंत्र से कोरोना के इलाज की बात करें तो सोचकर ही डर लगता है कि ऐसी महामारी में सरकार का दिमाग किस तरह से काम कर रहा है!

हालांकि, सरकार ने कोरोना अनुसंधान के नाम पर जो कदम उठाया है उससे कतई हैरानी नहीं होनी चाहिए। वजह यह है कि पिछले साल भी जल-शक्ति मंत्रालय ने एक प्रस्ताव बनाया था जिसमें गंगा-जल के उपयोग से कोरोना के मरीजों के उपचार की बात की गई थी। बाद में इस प्रस्ताव को आईसीएमआर (भारतीय आयुर्विज्ञान अनुसंधान परिषद) ने ठुकरा दिया था। जल-शक्ति मंत्रालय के इस प्रस्ताव में यह दावा किया गया था कि गंगा-जल में निंजा नाम का वायरस होता है जिससे कोरोना वायरस से लड़ने में मदद मिलेगी।

इन दिनों सरकार के नुमाइंदों और बीजेपी के कई बड़े नेताओं द्वारा रामायण या महाभारत जैसे मिथकों को इतिहास की तरह बताते हुए उनमें कही बातों को विज्ञान से जोड़ने का चलन बढ़ गया है। यहां तक कि साल 2014 में प्रधानमंत्री नरेन्द्र मोदी ने गणेशजी की सूंड का उदाहरण देते हुए यह बात कह दी कि प्राचीन भारत में प्लास्टिक सर्जरी जैसी तकनीक चलन में थी। इसी तरह, बीजेपी के बड़े नेता सत्यपाल सिंह ने साल 2018 में चार्ल्स डार्विन की थ्योरी को ही पलट दिया। आपने बताया कि स्कूल के पाठ्यक्रम से इसे हटाने की जरूरत है, क्योंकि इंसान जब से पृथ्वी पर देखा गया है, हमेशा इंसान ही रहा है।

इस बयान से एक साल पहले सत्यपाल सिंह यह कहकर भी सुर्खियां बटोर चुके हैं कि देश के विद्यार्थियों को पुष्पक विमान के बारे में क्यों नहीं बताया जाता है। आपकी मानें तो ऐरोप्लेन का अविष्कार राइट ब्रदर्स ने नहीं किया था, बल्कि इसका अविष्कार तो भारत में बहुत पहले ही हो चुका था। वहीं, साल 2016 में केंद्रीय मंत्री श्रीपद नाइक ने कैंसर जैसी बीमारी को हराने के लिए योगा को बेस्ट थैरेपी माना। लेकिन, इससे ज्यादा ध्यान खींचा साल 2018 में राजस्थान के तत्कालीन शिक्षा मंत्री वासुदेव देवनानी ने। आपने राजस्थान की हिस्ट्री पर हो रही बहस के बीच साइंस के फैक्ट भी बदल दिए और संभवत: सबसे पहले यह बताया कि न्यूटन ने गुरुत्वाकर्षण की थ्योरी नहीं दी थी। यह थ्योरी तो हजार वर्ष पहले ब्रह्मागुप्त द्वितीय ने दी थी, फिर भी स्कूलों में गलत विज्ञान पढ़ाया जाता है। आपका सुझाव था: क्यों नहीं हमें इस बात को सिलेबस में शामिल करके बच्चों को पढ़ाना चाहिए। इसी कड़ी में साल 2017 में बीजेपी के नेता और वर्तमान में असम के मुख्यमंत्री हिमंत बिस्वा सरमा कैंसर का कारण बताते हुए इसे पूर्व जन्मों का पाप माना। कुल मिलाकर, इस तरह के बयानों के आधार पर यदि सूची बनाई जाए तो यह बहुत लंबी बनती चली जाएगी।

पिछले साल मार्च में जब कोरोना संक्रमण रोकने के लिए सरकार द्वारा लॉकडाउन की घोषणा हो गई थी तो हिन्दू-महासभा के तत्वधान में गौ-मूत्र पार्टी के समाचार आ रहे थे। उस समय सोशल मीडिया पर गौ-मूत्र पार्टी की तस्वीरे तेजी से वायरल हुई थीं। आयोजक दलील दे रहे थे कि यदि मरीज गौ-मूत्र का नियमित सेवन करे तो निश्चित ही वह कोरोना ठीक हो जाएगा। इसी बीच बाबा रामदेव ने कोरोनिल नाम से दवा बनाई और बहुत जोर-शोर से कोरोना ठीक करने का दावा किया।

इस तरह के तमाम झूठ अब तक हिंदुत्व की आड़ में फैलाए जाते रहे हैं जिससे धार्मिक श्रद्धा से जोड़कर एक माइंड-सेट तैयार करने में आसानी हो। लेकिन, अब इस तरह की कवायद में सरकार को भी भागीदार बनते हुए देखा जा सकता है। ऐसे में सवाल है कि भारत सरकार की शह पर विज्ञान के नाम पर अंध-श्रद्धा को जिस तरीके से बढ़ावा दिया जा रहा है भविष्य में उसके क्या दुष्परिणाम होंगे। इसी तरह, एक सवाल यह भी कि यदि सत्ता के जोर पर रूढ़िगत विचार एम्स जैसे संस्थानों के जरिए प्रचारित किए जाएंगे तो हमारे देश में विज्ञान का भविष्य क्या होगा? क्या आज की प्रतिभा संपन्न पीढ़ी गौ-मूत्र से कैंसर के उपचार के बारे में पढेगी? या हमारे आइआइटियन मिथकीय साहित्य से पुष्पक विमान के बारे में पढ़ेंगे? आखिर आने वाली पीढ़ी विज्ञान को किस रुप में समझने की कोशिश करेगी?

Damoh defeat brings to the fore dissensions within Madhya Pradesh BJP

The defeat of BJP candidate Rahul Singh Lodhi at the hands of Ajay Kumar Tandon of the Congress in the Damoh Assembly by-election (held in April-May) has brought to the fore the deep-rooted dissensions within the State unit of the party. The State leadership suspended from the primary membership of the party half a dozen Mandal presidents and issued a show-cause notice to Jayant Malaiya, blaming them for Lodhi’s defeat. Malaiya had won from the Damoh constituency seven times and had been a member of the Council of Ministers of Uma Bharti, Babulal Gaur and Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Malaiya was defeated in the 2018 Assembly elections by less than 700 votes by Rahul Singh Lodhi who was then in the Congress. This time Lodhi lost by over 17,000 votes. The Mandal presidents suspended from the primary membership include Malaiya’s son, Siddharth Malaiya, who was also a convener of the Prashikshan Prakoshth (Training Cell) of BJP’s district unit.

Early this year Rahul Singh Lodhi was enticed to join BJP after resigning from the Congress and the Assembly. He was rewarded with the chairmanship of MP Warehousing and Logistics Corporation, a State enterprise with over 250 branches and huge resources at its disposal, as well as the promise to give him the ticket for the by-election caused by his resignation from the Assembly. As the ticket was being decided, some senior BJP leaders conversant with the ground-reality of the Damoh constituency were reported to have met the Chief Minister and told him that Lodhi had no chance of winning from there as the people were not happy with his performance as MLA. Even after the ticket was announced, efforts were reportedly made to persuade Chouhan to replace the candidate if the party wanted to wrest the seat. CM Chouhan and State BJP president V D Sharma were, however, said to be adamant on Lodhi.

A couple of days after getting the show-cause notice, Malaiya slammed the party leadership for being partisan and one-sided. In an interview with a newspaper, Malaiya said that it was wrong to say that Lodhi had lost in his (Malaiya’s) ward only. In fact, he got fewer votes in his ward, as well as in the ward where Union Minister and Lok Sabha member from Damoh Prahlad Patel resides; he lost heavily in urban areas and also in rural segments. It was, according to Malaiya, because of Lodhi’s arrogant nature that had made the people of the constituency turn against him. Malaiya also accused Lodhi of not doing people’s work until his palm was greased.

Party MLA from Patan in the adjoining district of Jabalpur and former Health Minister Ajay Vishnoi has tweeted that those responsible for the distribution of ticket and the in-charge of the Damoh constituency for the by-election should own up the responsibility for Lodhi’s defeat – indirectly blaming CM Chouhan, State party chief V D Sharma and Bhupendra Singh, who is a confidante of Chouhan and a minister. He was entrusted with the task of supervising the by-election.

Similar widespread discord in the party was also seen when the 22-odd former Congress MLAs were given the tickets from their respective constituencies during by-elections in October-November last year. Chouhan had, however, pacified the party men by claiming that the defection of 22 Congress MLAs was engineered at the behest of PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah as it was necessary for toppling the Congress government. Now the dissenters in the party are asking why Lodhi had to be induced to defect as the BJP government in the State already had a comfortable majority. The appointment of Lodhi to a lucrative post in preference to old party leaders is also a sore point with the dissidents.

With a clean image and vast experience Mamata forges ahead of her contemporaries, all set for national role 

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Kolkata: After taking oath as chief minister of Bengal, Mamata Banerjee has become the second woman to hold the high office for the third consecutive time.  The only other woman to have broken this glass ceiling was Sheila Dixit of the Congress Party who served New Delhi thrice.

Apart from breaking the gender barrier, Mamata Banerjee is also in the august company of only five other men who have been sworn in as chief minister for the three consecutive terms – Arunachal Pradesh’s Geong Apang, Sikkim’s Pawan Chambling, Gujarat’s Narendra Modi, Orrisa’s Naveen Patnaik and Bengal’s Jyoti Basu have all achieved this rare feat.

At present, the 66-year-old Trinamul Congress chief is the only woman chief minister of India.

Mamata is also among the few Indian politicians, who formed a political party, built it brick by brick and toiled hard to make it the ruling party of one of the most important states of India for over a decade now. Given the thumping victory that her party has seen in this assembly election, she will continue leading the state for another five years.

Individually too, she has been elected two times as Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), seven times as Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha- Lower House of Indian Parliament), and served Union Minister on three occassions and now a three-times Chief Minister.

What makes her political journey special and different from any other Indian politician is the fact that despite coming from the grassroots she has never been accused of corruption or criminal activities like patronizing riots.

In her political career, the only allegation she has faced is that of ‘appeasing Muslims’. This accusation is hurled at her only by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is known internationally as a Hindu supremacist party.

In fact, it is the lack of any other major allegation against Mamata that BJP leaders and supporters propagate the imaginary appeasement theory against her. During the Nandigram fight, in which her former aide Suvendhu Adhikari was contesting against her, he went to the extent of saying that if Mamata Banerjee were to win the election from Nandigram it would become mini Pakistan.

However, the mandate Mamata and her party has got in the Bengal assembly polls of 2021 is bigger than her 2011 and 2016 victories. If in 2011 it was the 34-year-rule of the Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) that had been decimated by her, the win of 2021 was equally important as it was against the mighty BJP, the self-proclaimed world’s largest party with a brute majority in the Lok Sabha and almost a majority in the Rajya Sabha.

During its ten-year-rule in Bengal so far, TMC MLAs have been accused of corruption as in the Narada and Saradha scams, but the flames never touched the party supremo.

Mamata can also not be accused of dynastic politics like the BJP loves to charge others with.

Her simplicity has been the most attractive part of her personality. Draped in a white saree with a blue border, the three times chief minister wears rubber slippers all the time.

The TMC chief is poised for a more important role in national politics, as indicated in a report by senior journalist Rasheed Kidwai, that she may become United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson, replacing Sharad Pawar.

It will be interesting to see how Mamata ‘the artist’ paints India in her colours – an India where politics of secularism and constitutional priorities have taken a backstage in recent times.

Why Am I Angry at Narendra Modi?

[dropcap]M[/dropcap]odi, Modi, Modi.., yes those exactly were the words I was enchanting when I voted him for the first time, then for the second time. A man of his words, his promises, a man of passion, excellence & performance, a man whom I always admired and wanted to be one, who gets supernatural with his excesses every time he makes his presence in the media. A man with a conviction to change India.

So, what has changed?

Is it the mindset, shift of focus, ignorance, arrogance what exactly it is?

How your attention shifted from a man leading by example last year to a man making his own country a living hell this year. This in turn shifted your image from the biggest motivator to the biggest violator of the Covid-19 norms. Yes sir, I want to question your loyalty to your political rallies, your religious congregation and your absolute denial of the severity and seriousness of the pandemic.

How did your attention shift from providing us with a world-class healthcare infrastructure to getting our hospitals run out of beds, oxygen, ventilators and other basic needs? Millions have died, are dying, will die. Mortuaries are so full that the last rites are being done on the streets, pavements, riverside or carcasses are laid to rot in the houses.

I never expected to run around for oxygen, to hustle for beds. I never expected to beg for medicines, vaccines among others, the list continues. What I was expected was to pay taxes which I did honestly and diligently.

I contributed to your Vikas and witnessed Vinash, why sir? I will remember, India will remember and goes without saying, you will remember.

It is easy to blame the state governments, common people, healthcare professionals, public utility services et al. But that’s exactly where we needed good governance, strong leadership, a person like Mr. Narendra Modi for whom I voted. To control even a class of 40 students, we need a class monitor so how can you ignore the world’s largest democracy?

I am angry.. because I blindly followed you, over expected from you.

I am angry.., because I trusted you.

I am angry.., because I lost my friends, relatives & loved ones.

I am angry.., because I am feeling helpless, I have seen not only humans but also humanity dying under your regime.

Worried about post-poll violence in Bengal? Fact check before forwarding pictures & videos

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Kolkata: Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut’s account has been suspended permanently by Twitter. The PM has contacted the governor. Dilip Ghosh has been demanding for the oath ceremony to be postponed, while BJP has officially moved to the Apex court demanding for President’s rule in Bengal. All this has happened within 48 hours of the thumping victory of TMC in the recently concluded Bengal Assembly Polls.

Post-poll violence is not new to Bengal. The state has a history of such violence.

But what is alarming this time is the speed and timing of news or rather fake news (see the two collage in the story) related to post-poll violence being circulated on social media. Speaking about the issue, social activist and documentary maker Kasturi Basu, said, “We are against any form of political violence – be it pre or post-poll. We condemn such acts. The recently elected government, police and administration need to spring into action to contain such instances, which many big political leaders are trying to project as communal violence.”

She mentioned, “Also, I would like to question the Election Commission. Why is it quiet? The central forces are here, why are they being used to restore peace? Or is there an agenda?”

Hinting at the timing during which several posts related to post-poll violence in Bengal went viral she said, “I would like to question the political leaders who are tweeting them – have they cross-checked before posting? If not then why did they post? There have been instances of violence in which people from every party have been targeted. Instead of communalising it, every party should ask its cadres to refrain from such actions. People should be made accountable for not just inciting violence but also for sharing communally charged fake posts.”

In the past few hours, Pratik Sinha of Alt News has busted several fake posts, where either old photos or videos of mob violence had been used to depict violence in Bengal. He told to eNewsroom, “Debunking is still in progress. There is so much more. We have talked to police officers and have confirmed about the news being fake along with following our procedure to debunk such news.”

fake news bengal post-poll violence bjp
Another set of fake news debunked by fact-checkers

The Alt News Founder pointed out, “Based on the trend that we are seeing on posts related to post-election violence in Bengal, I can say that there is a definitive attempt to ignite emotion to create a divide by putting the Hindu majority in victim mode.”

On being asked what should a person who receives such posts do, he said, “Remember, this is a psychological game that is being played. So, don’t just check your emotions but also facts before hitting on the forward button.”

Basu added, “We need to be careful about sharing posts or forwards related to such violence, as we by now very well know how the BJP operates. They work in a swift, planned way. If you will check the timeline of the Twitter storm that took place concerning the post-poll violence, then you will notice that it began yesterday in the afternoon and ended at night and today they even reached the Apex Court demanding for President’s Rule.”

Another activist who didn’t want to be named, pointed out, “The governor of Bengal is tweeting about the violence, tagging the outgoing government, forgetting that he is the custodian of the state till the oath ceremony takes place. Why isn’t he doing something? What is he waiting for?”

Demanding action against fake news spreaders, Basu said, “Leaders like Kailash Vijayvargiya, Sambit Patra should be booked for spreading communally charged fake news. It’s quite interesting to see the same house that has been torched being shared by both BJP and CPI (M).

There has been political killing in Kerala too yesterday. I am not justifying what is happening here. All that I am saying is that all forms of violence should come to an end. I hope the party that has got such a huge majority just to keep out fascist forces pays heed and brings an end to it.”

When eNewsroom contacted TMC’s MP Saugato Roy, he said, “We are aware of what is happening and the fact that BJP has approached the Apex Court regarding President’s rule. Let them do so. We will do the needful once the oath ceremony is over.”

Why Bengal election mandate is bigger than the personal win or loss of Mamata

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Kolkata: When the campaigning of Bengal Elections 2021 was taking place, this correspondent went to Nandigram twice. First when Kisan Andolan leaders like Rakesh Tikait, Medha Patekar and others conducted a rally there and next on the last day of campaigning.

On both occasions, with the acumen of a political journalism of almost two decades, I couldn’t help but notice that Mamata Banerjee has a big task at hand in Nandigram. Not just because it was a stronghold of Suvendhu Adhikari and his family, but the way Suvendhu, a former close aide of Mamata, and BJP were fighting against the TMC supremo.

Adhikari was using the Hindutva card and tried to polarize Nandigram. He not only gave communal speeches where he said that if Mamata wins Nandigram will become Mini Pakistan, BJP also put all its might behind Adhikari. For the Nandigram seat alone PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh CM Ajay Singh Bisht and film star Mithun Chakraborty, all the bigwigs, campaigned.

When this correspondent visited the battleground on the last day of campaigning, I noticed that a large number of flags from different Hindu organisation were put up all along the road supporting the Hinduvta agenda. This was an attempt to influence those who might not have fallen for BJP’s charms or might be miffed over an issue that lay unaddressed by the BJP government at the Centre.

mamata banerjee nandigram bengal election mandate
A TMC supporter after Bengal election results | Courtesy: Reuters

So it was always a tough contest for the Bengal Chief Minister. But, the choice she made to fight against her former aide and not from another seat, had given a clear message to partymen across that this is an important election for the state and she is willing to take all risks.

The outcome is before us. The people of Bengal have given a clear mandate to the TMC, which is not only bigger in numbers than 2016 Assembly polls, but a message for BJP’s politics of hate, misuse of power and dirty campaigning tricks.

TMC has tasted this victory even after the cross over of its forty-something MLAs to the BJP. It’s noteworthy that they have been able to defeat some of the prominent faces of Bengal BJP including singer Babul Supriyo, Locket Chatterjee, Rahul Sinha and Swampan Dasgupta.

mamata banerjee nandigram bengal election mandate

The 2021 Bengal Assembly polls will be remembered for the fight among unequals — the only (present) woman chief minister in India and a party which claims to be the largest one in the world, and one that didn’t hesitate to resort to all sorts of unethical practices to defeat its opponents.

No political pundit could have predicted that amid all this, TMC will be able to get more than 180 seats, leave alone crossing the figures achieved in 2016, where TMC won 211 seats.

This is such a resounding defeat for the BJP, and particularly for PM Modi and HM Amit Shah, that henceforth their claims of being able to win a certain number of seats in elections will now always be doubted.

Most importantly, the defeat in Bengal will make BJP defensive on its Farm Laws as the mandate has boosted the morale of farmers taking part in the four-month-long historic farm movement. Rakesh Tikait has tweeted the same and said that now Modi government should withdraw the laws immediately.

The mandate of 2021 Bengal Assembly polls has a larger message than Mamata’s personal win or loss. It’s been a landslide victory for the party she birthed and continues to helm. It goes without saying that she fought ferociously and sailed her party to historic victory.

TMC takes decisive lead in historic Bengal election

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Kolkata: By the afternoon of May 2, Trinamool Congress, the ruling party of West Bengal has taken a decisive lead in the historic Bengal Election Results 2021 by leading on 207 seats, while BJP trends on 82 seats out of 292 seats that went on the poll.

Significantly, the Left alliance is leading only on 2 seats.

According to the ABP news channel, which is showing a relatively quicker trend than any other channel and Election Commission of India portal, TMC crossed the 200 seat mark.

It is significant that Home Minister Amit Shah had always claimed that BJP would be getting more than 200 seats, but the trend is showing the reverse.

If the trend becomes a reality, it will have a great impact nationally.

Not only Election Commission conducted Bengal assembly polls in 8 phases, but because of active campaigning in Bengal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other cabinet ministers, the Modi government ignored the Covid-19 virus Tsunami in India. The number of infected cases per day touched 4 lakhs on April 30.

Significantly, by the 5th round TMC supremo, Mamata Banerjee was trailing behind BJP candidate and her former aide Suvendu Adhikari by 3800 votes.

Meanwhile, Bengal politics’ major BJP leaders are trailing including Babul Supriyo, Locket Chatterjee, Rahul Sinha.

Covid-19 story: The second wave

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As the Covid-19 second wave continues its ferocious surge, many cities in the country smell an unprecedented stench of death. For the last several days, the crematoriums have been inundated with Covid corpses. So much so that, with people taking a morbid interest in the happenings at a prominent cremation ground in the country, the authorities had to put up an opaque fence all around it to keep away the public!

In its second arrival, Covid-19 is treating India like how it devastated Italy, Brazil and Spain with the first wave. The cremation grounds across India are witness to unseemly hurry, thwarted by pile-ups of Covid-dead. The dead are being burned well past dusk, right up to and beyond the midnight hour. Similarly, burial grounds can’t locate space to bury the Covid-dead.

India now has almost 16 million cases, the second-most globally, as it struggles to provide enough shots for its 1.3 billion people despite being home to the world’s biggest vaccine manufacturer. Lower vigilance around masks and social distancing have contributed to the resurgence, with large religious festivals and elections allowed to take place with few precautions.

Those capable to secure high-quality treatment facilities in the early stages might survive Covid-19 without much trouble. For instance, Bollywood actors or prominent people from other fields who post their Covid-19 statuses on Twitter and Instagram, move into the best of hospitals without a hitch. Not the common man, even the middle-class Twitterati. Only the lucky few among these lesser mortals are able to find a hospital bed and oxygen to beat the Coronavirus.

The other day there were reports of a national award-winning cyclist dying after two private hospitals in Pune refused to admit him and the third, a government institution, admitted him only to allegedly neglect him. He could manage to highlight his story in the media because he was a known face, but the common man, would pass away, vanish into a black hole on the other side of the Invisible line, no questions asked!

India’s second wave is all the more lethal after the country saw fewer fatalities than other developing nations earlier in the pandemic, puzzling experts. Covid-related deaths have jumped to more than 184,000, still trailing the U.S., Brazil and Mexico, according to Johns Hopkins data.

The outbreak threatens to derail the Indian economy, which had just begun to recover after a nationwide lockdown last year pushed it into a historic recession. A new virus variant with a double mutation has also been detected locally, and concerns are growing that it’s driving the new wave.

Now, by putting the brakes on the over-the-counter availability of Remdesivir, reports have surfaced about a roaring black market for the drug all across the country. It is pointed out that in Karnal, Haryana, a vial of Remdesivir @MRP 250 is selling at Rs 15,000-Rs18000 in the black market. That said, the shortage of ventilators is the biggest killer in the realm. Nobody’s sure whether Remdesivir is effective or not, but hundreds are suffocating for want of ventilators in hospitals. In Ahmedabad, where cremation grounds are crowded with the Covid dead bodies, the standstill caravan of ambulances outside hospitals tells another story – of acute shortage of hospital beds and oxygen.

Unfortunately, it took countless dead to bring home the basic truth. The majority of the population is getting infected and nobody knows for sure whether it’s the old aged who are succumbing more, or are the young too collapsing lifeless in big numbers? All one gets to hear and see on the media are cold lifeless statistics. While the general public is advised to observe Covid-appropriate behaviour, politicians of all hues address Covid-inappropriate public rallies with the least care about consequences. Aren’t politicians supposed to lead by setting an example for fellow beings?

The relatively slow pace of vaccinations is undoubtedly adding to the problem. India has administered more than 132 million vaccine doses, according to data from the health ministry. That’s enough to cover only about 4.8% of its population, according to studies conducted and will take 12 years to immunise the entire population or 8 years to attain herd immunity.

Unlike SARS, Covid-19 is not going away anytime soon. The severity of the second wave is proof that the novel Coronavirus has quietly adapted to earth conditions and is mutating to spread across geographies. There have been also reports of several cases of death of people after taking both doses of the vaccines.

The point is, everything about the novel Coronavirus, including the vaccines, is sort of fluid at this point. Just for reminders, India reported its highest number of Covid cases for the eighth time in nine days as per the information available this week. This is when China reported record economic growth as it rebounded from the pandemic slump. Should we take some Covid lessons from our neighbour?

India’s total Covid cases had raced to 14,074,564 and Covid deaths to 174,308. It’s disheartening that a novel Coronavirus comes out of nowhere and takes away lives in hundreds or thousands! For millions of Indians who sat through the first Covid wave, the second Covid wave is unnerving. And, for all we know, there’s a massive vaccine crisis in the making even as helpless and hopeless people despair. Lives can still be saved, with Covid-appropriate behaviour, proper planning, strategy and execution but not without responsible cooperation from each individual in complying with the guidelines laid down to fight the pandemic.