Kumbh Mela Is Not Any Better Than The Tablighi Jamaat

Corona knows no god or goddess. It kills regardless of any person’s religion, caste or creed. It is a disease wreaking havoc in unimaginable ways. Yet, what is ironic is the way some select few humans use the situation to manipulate, cheat and deceive other humans to ensure their own survivability.

One year since the onslaught, there is now the second wave of corona spread and the numbers have increased to colossal figures. India ranks number two in the world behind America and it has no impact on the Government in its seriousness to combat Corona Virus.

Here is the problem with India, on one hand for all it has is a Government filled with old folks who care only about power and politics, and on the other hand there is a flock of sheep that would jump into the well at the mere saying of the people who run the Government. Sandwiched between these two powerhouses are the minority (in terms of people who are educated) who really have an opinion and are of any material value for upholding the meaning of democracy, and since they are so few, their voices are like whispers which fade into the background without reaching anyone’s ears, but again, what is the point in even making a conversation when even the mainstream media is rigged.

For the sake of at least making an attempt before the end of peace and equality in this country, it is necessary to make mention of what had happened and why it had happened. The reason is sure to surprise since it all fits well with the whole plan and agenda of the present Government.

The ruling party of this country is the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and its vote bank are the Hindus. According to 2011 National Census of India, 966.3 million people in India were identified as Hindus, which represented 79.8 percent of the country's population. The Hindus in the country are mostly devout and therefore, addressing the needs of the Hindus are of much importance to the present Government. But make note of what is written carefully, the ‘needs’ of the Hindus are important regardless of their well-being and health and it is indeed what had happened and what was witnessed by all in this country.

At the outset of the Kumbh Mela, wherein the expectation is that a large number of Hindus (approximately a few Million, due to the Corona Threat) would go to take a dip in the Holy Ganges, the Government has done absolutely nothing to irritate the devout Hindus desirous of going to the celebrations abandoning all safety protocols. What is even more astounding is the way the travels to Kumbh celebrations are being promoted. Free bus services are made available for ladies who are unable to travel. Could there be any more support on behalf of the Government to completely mess with the fragile immunity of the people?

Approximately, a year back from today when there was Tablighi Jamat being celebrated by the Muslims, wherein the numbers were only around a few thousands, such comments and tags were used by the politicians and media houses, which knows no equal. Muslims were imprisoned and charged with cases stating that they were planning to promote bioterrorism in the country and yet, none of them were even found to have the virus in the first place and therefore not a single case sustained before the respective High Courts. Today, as Kumbh is being celebrated, amidst a more violent Corona outbreak and in numbers which are immoderate relative to the handful of people celebrating the Tablighi Jamat, there are many questions raised in the minds of those who have a reasonable foresight and also in Muslims who were so viciously attacked in a situation similar to this. Why were the devotees not stopped?

Don’t go thinking that it is because the Government cares about the Hindus. Frankly, it does not, because if it did, it would not have allowed for such enormous gatherings. It would not have allowed for provisions which seek the presence of more people in the celebrations, in fact, if it really cared, it would have fulfilled its duty of reminding the whole flock of sheep that “look Corona is around, so please do yourself a favor, stay at home and don’t risk getting killed because of it”. The Government here is trying to make the people especially the Hindus to wear a mask (metaphorically), which prevents the sensation of its fetid activity of committing fraud against the people, by arranging ways and means of keeping the members of its vote bank happy and merry. The misconception here and the reason why the party remains in power is because it promises that it would look after the needs of the people especially the Hindus as long as the people continue to support the party wherein the party has nothing to do with the well being of the people, and all it cares about are the votes, and to ensure that, it would go up to the extent of forsaking its duty to protect the people from the outbreak and by promoting greater divide between the Hindu and the Muslims.  The whole agenda is to keep the Hindus happy, make them feel superior or dominant and to deprive the others especially the Muslims and there is nothing more to it and nothing less.

Justice would not be done if a certain specific explanation by the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand is not mentioned herein about why ‘Kumbh’ should be an exception as compared to ‘Markaz’ and why it should not even be compared at all. So, according to Mr. Tirath Rawat, C.M. of Uttarakhand, Markaz is conducted in a closed area, so the chances of a person coming in contact with Corona is very high and Kumbh Mela cannot be compared because it is conducted in an open area and therefore corona cannot come in contact with any other person.

This gentleman actually gave this explanation as to why ‘Markaz’ and ‘Kumbh’ cannot be compared, and please do bear in mind that this person is also the Chief Minister of the state of Uttarakhand. At some point, the intelligence of an individual should be a consideration for holding that position in my personal opinion. Anyway, such is the quality of excuse for why the people participating in Kumbh can be in large gatherings without maintaining social distancing, can decide not to wear a mask, and can take a dip in the Holy Ganges infecting the river and themselves.

The rise in Covid Cases would point towards whose a mistake now, is a question best answered by the readers themselves.

 

Written by : 

Danny Louis David

Amity University 

Disclaimer: This article is the personal opinion of the author. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any Indian Government or any other Government of the world. This article is only opinion and does not render ant personal or professional advice.