Battle of optics

As the second wave gets worse, the Centre and the states are resorting to blame games

- PRATUL SHARMA

Days before the vaccination drive started in January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the chief ministers, in a meeting with them, for containing the spread of the pandemic more effectively than the administrations in several other countries. Now, as the second wave ravages the country—close to three lakh cases reported in 24 hours (as on April 21)—the Centre and the states are at each other’s throats.

After Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan took a dig at vaccine management by various states, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, on April 7, uncharacteristically, lashed out against “certain states” for their “deplorable attempts to spread panic”. After the Maharashtra government launched a scathing attack on the Centre, the health minister accused the state of letting people escape institutional quarantine and accused the Congress government in Chhattisgarh of inciting vaccine hesitancy in people.

While the crisis was managed centrally during the first wave, this time the states have pushed for local strategies. Earlier, the opposition opposed lockdown. Now, the BJP seems to be doing so; Modi asked the states to treat lockdown only as a last resort and has encouraged micro containment zones instead.