Courting catastrophe?
Toeing a surprisingly opposite line from other states which are adopting measures to stall the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, the new chief minister of Uttarakhand has adopted a magnanimous approach by advocating an ‘open for all’ Kumbh in Haridwar. An example of this generosity was witnessed on the occasion of Maha Shivratri recently when lakhs of devotees congregated in Haridwar without any restrictions with a kind hearted host showering flower petals on the teeming crowds. It is true that devotees across the world wait for 12 long years for the holy event and everyone should respect their faith but it would be foolhardy to ignore the catastrophe lurking in the corner to strike. In such a situation saving precious lives should get precedence on every other activity howsoever important that be. The former CM had adopted an approach of caution and had directed the authorities for a limited Kumbh but with the changed strategy with change at helm the experts warn that the mega congregation of devotees could turn Kumbh into a super-spreader event for Covid-19 virus. Uttarakhand government which has expressed its willingness to waive off the necessity of negative Covid-19 report for entry to Kumbh should take a leaf out of the Delhi government’s decision that every returnee from Kumbh would have to compulsorily undergo a RT-PCR test.
Cornering Chairs
The anxiety of the Congressmen is increasing as the crucial elections of Uttarakhand assembly are drawing closer. Even as most of the leaders of the principal opposition party have hit the campaign trail and are sweating it out in the ground there are some who still prefer to make rounds of the Rajiv Bhawan. Here apart from being in proximity of senior leaders their aspiration to get into the media gaze also gets fulfilled. At times this desperation creates an uncomfortable situation for the party leadership. In one such incident recently the PCC chief who was to address a Press conference was shocked to find no seat for himself at the stage as all the chairs were occupied. To add to his embarrassment the leaders tried to make space for the PCC chief by pushing against each other rather than leaving a chair for him. With the election fever slowly gripping the state, this scramble for the chairs in the party is bound to get intensified.
Desperate acts
In an attempt to get a ministerial berth in the team of new CM Tirath Singh Rawat, an MLA of the saffron party offered to relinquish his seat for the CM who at present is a member of parliament and needs to get into the state assembly. This MLA who had lobbied hard to get into the team of the previous CM was almost assured of his place among the ministers but before Trivendra Singh Rawat could expand his team he was removed from the position. After change of guard, the MLA tried to please the new captain by becoming the first one to offer his seat. His antics however failed to yield any dividend as he was not included in the new CM’s team. In an apparent attempt to hide his embarrassment, the MLA is now claiming that a Congress legislator from Garhwal region is ready to vacate his seat for the CM and defect to the saffron party’s fold but now no one is paying heed to his utterances.
Friday, 19 March 2021 | Gajendra Singh Negi | Dehradun
