AP
NEW DELHI India’s hospitals were packed with coronavirus patients, relatives of the sick scrambled to find supplies of oxygen, and crematoriums were running near full capacity to handle the dead.
Yet despite those clear signs of an overwhelming health crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pressed ahead with a densely packed campaign rally.
“I have never seen such a huge crowd before!” he roared to his supporters in West Bengal state on April 17, before key local elections. “Wherever I can see, I can only see people. I can see nothing else.”
As another deadly wave of COVID-19 infections was swamping India, Modi’s government refused to cancel a giant Hindu festival. Cricket matches, attended by tens of thousands, carried on, too.
India s virus surge damages Modi’s image of competence
Published On 05 May,2021 08:06 pm
The catastrophic surge has badly dented Modi’s political image after he drew praise last year
NEW DELHI (AP) India’s hospitals were packed with coronavirus patients, relatives of the sick scrambled to find supplies of oxygen, and crematoriums were running near full capacity to handle the dead.
Yet despite those clear signs of an overwhelming health crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pressed ahead with a densely packed campaign rally.
“I have never seen such a huge crowd before!” he roared to his supporters in West Bengal state on April 17, before key local elections. “Wherever I can see, I can only see people. I can see nothing else.”
Social media is a lifeline for desperate Indians. And a threat for Narendra Modi
On most days, Network Capital, a business networking group with over 67,000 members on Facebook, focuses on providing its community with information on job vacancies, higher education, and careers.
Recently, however, the group has been flooded with posts from users looking for hospital beds, oxygen and medicines, as a devastating second wave of Covid-19 sweeps India. Critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi say his handling of the pandemic is to blame, pointing to decisions to allow mass gatherings of people.
Members of the Facebook group, mostly Indian professionals, have responded swiftly to appeals for help, at times sharing extensive Google spreadsheets with details of medical suppliers and volunteer organizations.
April 23, 2021
Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
Nikhil Pahwa, Editor, MediaNama: So, I think there are lots of issues and lots of points which have been raised. I was wondering if you would like to share your views and your comments. I know we’re starting a little early. But since we have you here, I thought we might want to explore your views on these rules that you’ve been so closely involved with architecting.
Rakesh Maheshwari, Senior Director and Group Coordinator of Cyber Law & eSecurity, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology: Yeah, so first of all, good evening to all of you. I was listening to some of the earlier views in the program. But, thereafter, I was not into the conversation and therefore have lost the points.