On March 25, 2020, a day after the lockdown of three weeks announced by the Prime Minister for whole of India, a message became viral to warn Indians not to step out of their homes as potential of infection of the virus would be at the height before it begins to diminish from April 3. The message did not specify either the authority or source of information for the conclusion. Every one scrambled to pass the warning to their group. Soon another followed to claim it was a prank.

Similarly alarming was a video. A young man was shown narrating in authorities’ manners the possibility of six and half million Indians getting caught by the infection. The video clip went viral in Mumbai without the authority disclaiming it. The narrator did not reveal the source of his information nor did he show awareness of the terror his narration might cause. He also was oblivious to sensation his summation contrary to prevailing facts would cause.

The WHO had authoritatively pointed out that Corona virus became pandemic in lands above 40 degree latitude and in cold region. It did not spread in lands prone to Malaria and in tropical zone. India had repatriated Kerala workers in Wuhan in February without loss of time after the virus became pandemic in China. Only two from immigrants were hospitalized on suspicion of infection.

In 45 days, India had only 724 infected persons, most of them had returned from their visits to Europe or the Middle East. The Indian government had established medical testing facilities at her 33 airports and 44 ports within a week with facilities for quarantining new arrivals as precaution. The Kerala administration got 4600 beds in 768 hospitals in the state for potential victims of Corona infection.

The middle class avoided physical contacts with others though it is difficult in a land with higher density of population in each state. In India 28 percent urban population is spread out in 5100 towns and 380 cities. Even in rural areas large congregation and physical contacts are unavoidable due to nature of work and living habits. Yet in the population of 1.33 billion, number of infections reported was 724, that too in a period of 45 days whereas America and Italy had to deal with ten thousand new infections added on daily basis. The death toll was also enormous in Europe and America as the aged persons were easy victims, whereas in India, deaths suspected due to Corona is only 17, and no death was reported in the last 24 hours. Without cognizance of the prevailing data printed in newspapers, such alarming messages became the cause of panic.

In view of high density of populations and perceived need to diminish physical contacts, the middle class had already begun to avoid busy markets and public transport long before the Delhi government declared curfew till March 31, close establishments that necessarily become areas or locations of high rate of contacts. Malls, Eating places, Cinema Halls and even markets were closed. The Maharashtra government also decided to follow it as the state has large number of big cities.

Without waiting to ascertain impact and results of Delhi and Maharashtra steps of clamp down, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi clamped lockdown on entire country though the lockdown in many European lands had not yielded the desired results. He would naturally be concerned by spread of infection that defies immediate cure and has high mortality rate. The lack of adequate health facilities to take higher number of affected patients may have prompted him to move in this direction in hurry. He could not go in for such severely harsh measure without consulting his administration. Either it did not occur or the administration did not point out that 60 percent of Indian population survives on daily incomes from their vocations or wages for their labour.

Nearly forty million small road side trades and twenty million others earn their daily bread by their work. The clamp down would deprive them of their daily incomes. The horror of the clamp down with exception dawned twenty four hours later to make the government to unstring the purse to take out 1.80 lakh crore to provide free meals for next three months to poor, financial assistances to aged poor and physically impaired Indians. The financial allocation for the purpose came to be one fourth of total budget and was meant only for consumption without adding to national wealth even a rupee worth asset.

The Sonia Gandhi schemes of Rs. 2.25 lakh crore for the employment guarantee and cheap food for the vulnerable classes were ridiculed during the intense campaign for the 2014 election when the BJP leader had also made clear not to expect free lunch in his rule has reversed his stance and gone far beyond the charity based politics and governance. He may not have gone in for the total clamping down life to push citizens behind doors of their homes, regardless of their economics if he had care for the lower classes as his priority. He might have thought of other ways to fight the fears of pandemic infection. He said health of citizens was prime consideration. Economics came later.

The upper strata of Indian society welcomed the measure of the three week long lock down as it would end the need for contact of others but would be dismayed when they are made to pay the price for the relief package delivered to the lower strata for its survival. They would only then realize that the pleasure of democratic rule does not come without a price.