Panic-stricken Goans watched Prime Minister Narendra’s national address with bated breath hoping to get a breather from the Zilla Panchayat elections imposed on the State ignoring the Coronavirus scare. The PM announced a self-imposed ‘Janata curfew’ advising citizens to remain indoors on Sunday, March 22 from 7 am to 9 pm, a day when Goans are to walk out and vote. And swiftly, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant shifted the election date to March 24.
The concern of the PM was evident. India will be tested on March 22, thundered Modi. Back home, Sawant was on business as usual with his team going into the penultimate day of the campaigning on a war footing. Wake up CM, Covid-19 is on the prowl, and there is panic all around. You have imposed Epidemic Disease Act and called for a partial shutdown. But you have remained adamant on exposing voters to risks. Postponing the elections by two days won’t make a difference. For the people of Goa, it could be choosing between life and facing death. It is disappointing that Sawant, who is a doctor himself, has shown complete disregard to the health of the people of Goa and turned down pleas of poll postponement.
Governments elsewhere have taken unprecedented decisions. Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal governments have postponed local body elections. Church, temples and mosques in Goa and around the world have suspended services and gone into lock-down. There is news of shutdown and pleas for social distancing. Deaths are being reported from across the world, and India is expected to be a hotbed for the virus. However, in Goa, it’s a different story. The battle for votes has taken centre stage and politicos are unmindfully breaking all rules and holding meetings in a bid to pocket votes. It’s a shame that politics has stooped so low.
The State Election Commission has shown a lack of spine and toed the government’s line despite being aware of the risks it’s taking with the lives of ordinary citizens. Zilla poll involves manual voting spread over 50 constituencies. There are bound to be serpentine queues and logistical issues, and the social distancing that is pleaded is not practical during voting. Who holds responsibility of the safety of ordinary citizens?
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant begins his second year in office just after the State marked the first death anniversary of Manohar Parrikar. But he has lost a golden opportunity to make a strong point and win the confidence of the people of Goa. This is where leadership counts, and this is where Parrikar stood out. Scoring political victories at the cost of public trust reflects a defeat of leadership.
It’s time people of Goa stand up and realize that the political class doesn’t care for issues like health and public welfare. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be waiting for curfews to bail us out. Political lust overrides everything else. We need to treat this war against Coronavirus as our own and isolate ourselves from every possible threat. The death toll in Italy raced from 4 to 3000 cases in less than a month. We need to learn lessons from nations who are now paying a heavy price for being complacent. Elections will come and go, but ordinary citizens must understand they will be left to fend for themselves in times of crisis.
