That, probably, because coronavirus testing in the country is not along expected lines and global standards. Compared to the majority of the corona-hit countries testing in India has been at best tardy. As if India can wait and if the testing is not carried out on a war-footing, somehow, willy-nilly, India will escape the virus’s rampage with little, compared to the world at large, loss of lives!

That said, Modi’s address drew praise from unexpected quarters. Former finance and home minister, Congress leader P. Chidambaram, gave Modi full marks for the speech and its contents. He said he will support Modi’s “janata curfew” call. Understandable, because for once Modi did not praise himself and boast to the people of his government’s foolproof policies to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

If anything, Modi studiously avoided speaking about what his government was doing to ward off the challenge posed by Covid 19. That India has only lost three lives to the virus in all likelihood gave the Prime Minister room to not dwell on the topic to a greater extent. Rather Modi took the opportunity to remind “Deshvasiyan” their duty to themselves and to the country, not to speak of what they owed to each other.

His address was peppered with “I want a favour from you all”. The “janata curfew” was one favour he sought. Another was to refrain from going on a buying spree and hoarding essential items. The government, he said, has taken people’s requirements into reckoning while planning India’s response to Covid 19; so “don’t worry”, the country is in safe hands!

Another favor he sought from “countrymen”, and countrywomen, was to display high degrees of “patience” and “restraint”; in other words “self-discipline”; don’t — repeat don’t — step outdoors; stick to within the four walls of home and defeat the nefarious designs of the evil coronavirus. In fact, Modi labelled coronavirus worse than even WW-I and WW-II.

Of course, he need not have said it. People are aware of what Covid 19 can do and is doing to human beings all over the world. If India is yet to feel the brunt, it is because coronavirus positive cases in the country are being added only in 10s and 20s every following day. And we have yet to go into full community testing, of which Modi did not say much. His refrain was more about what his “beloved desvasiyan” should do and “are doing”.

For all that, Modi admitted that Covid 19 cases in India may not be many but that did not mean India was safe from the pandemic. The Prime Minister, in a rare admission, acknowledged that in all the severely-hit countries – China, Iran, Italy, South Korea, Germany – the number of corona positive cases exploded after a slow start. With that, he all but predicted that India could very well face a similar situation.

But did he say India is ready to tackle such an explosion of Covid 19 cases? Did he assure countrymen that India has everything necessary to face a full-blown coronavirus outbreak and come out trumps? Afraid to say, but Modi did not say anything on India’s preparedness or the steps his Government has taken; whether India has enough N95 masks and surgical gloves and hazmat suits; if hospitals have the beds ready to take in hordes of the corona-hit if there’s a sudden surge in numbers?

All Modi said in his address was that it would be wrong to think that coronavirus is not a “threat” and that it would be a mistake to be complacent. Great, now the people are warned. Also, did not Modi caution people of the need to maintain social distancing to keep coronavirus at arm’s length?

Obviously, Modi is wary of community transmission but would rather not say it in those words. For, that will raise the question: Why is India is shying away from community testing? Is India perennially stuck in Stage 2 of the pandemic, Mr. Prime Minister? And will we be spared of the dreadful Stage 3?

We the people do not know and Modi’s Thursday night address to the nation did not tell us much. Except that come Sunday, people all over India will observe “janata curfew” from 9 am on, and at 5pm will open doors and windows, stand in balconies, and clap their appreciation to those who are braving the outbreak because they cannot let countrymen and countrywomen down. Fine, everything goes, as long as we don’t catch the coronavirus.
(IPA Service)