Switch off lights call of PM : Need to look beyond
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: April 06 2020 -

Switch off lights, light lamps, candles, switch on the torch on the mobile handsets at 9 pm of April 5 for 9 minutes call of the Prime Minister as part of the strategies adopted against coronavirus even as the country witnessed the highest single day spike with 601 positive cases on April 4, taking the total number of infected to 3741 as on April 5 and the number of deaths to 112.

Not surprisingly, many have questioned the rationale of the Prime Minister with many more ridiculing it on the social media but the last word is yet to be said.

Perhaps only the Prime Minister knows what will follow after the lights off call, but more than likely it would not end there.

Remember March 22 when the Prime Minister gave the Janata Curfew call from 7 am to 9 pm and followed it up with the 21 days Nationwide lockdown, which will go on till April 14.

If the recent past is any indication, the lights off call may just be the prelude to another strategy that may be spelt out in the coming days.

The very decision of National carrier Air India to stop air bookings for domestic and international flights till April 30 should say something very significant it may be read along with the lights off call of the Prime Minister.

Whatever the case may be, India surely has a task at hand and this calls for all the people to roll up their sleeves and positively respond, such as not staying indoors during the lockout, maintaining physical distance and whatever other steps the Government may spell out.

The situation is not a joke.

Apart from sticking to the call of the Government, especially during the lockout period, it is also important for the Government to ensure that all possible steps are taken up to ensure that the minimum protective gears are provided to the doctors, nurses and the health workers.

The morale of the people needs to be kept up and this is where it should be clear to the Government that the report of plane loads of betel leaves arriving in the State when there is shortage of such essential items as hand sanitisers, face masks, PPEs for the doctors and health workers, ventilators should be taken with the seriousness it deserves.

To any thinking man, it is also clear that the plane loads of betel leaves could have arrived here at the instance of only traders dealing with betel leaves and the possibility of men in positions of power and influence being involved cannot be ruled out that easily.

And how long will it take for the Government to unmask those who were behind the whole operation of bringing in the betel leaves at the cost of other extremely essential items at this critical juncture ?

The situation is uncertain and one expects the Government to convey that it shall not tolerate non-sensical attempts to milk the situation.

This is what one expects from a responsible Government and this is the right time for the BJP led Government at Imphal to demonstrate that it means business.

Very important for all, especially those in positions of power and influence not to belittle the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tackle the global pandemic and transporting betel leaves at the cost of other essential items is definitely belittling the call of the Prime Minister.

Silence on this matter by the Government will also amount to the same thing.