The corona pandemic has caused havoc in Europe and also in America when Narendra Modi was occupied with the task of organizing grand reception for the American president Donald Trump with a record crowd in the Motera stadium at Ahmadabad. Workers from Kerala in the afflicted textile centre of China, Wuhan were already brought back to India. Two of them were found later to be infected. The Prime Minister had 40 days to review the situation with various departments, officials and colleagues but no one confirms that he seized the opportunity before imposing the Lockdown to put a halt to all socio economic activities of 1300 million Indians. The sudden imposition of the Lockdown that was to terminate the fundamental rights did not visualize the grave consequences for 60 per cent of them surviving on their daily incomes.

Everyone was pushed back in time to life that existed prior to the industrial revolution in eighteenth century without economic activities, wider social contacts or ability to move around as public transport system did not exist then as it was pushed now off the roads. The scenic difference was huge empty tarred roads within and as connecting links. Few transport vehicles could move to maintain the essential services and supplies chains fed. Only in his fifth appearance to tell the nation of continuation of the Lockdown for the fourth stretch, but with mild changes to allow citizens certain freedoms and the tonic rush to boosts to revive the economy, that he mentioned the plight of traders who earned their living from roadsides activities. But his tonic package contained nothing for them or other majority of economically weaker sections made to live in utter despair, without food but with fatigue from their walking on their feet hundreds of miles to reach their origins.

The other classes with strong economic support and comforts of living did not protest against the termination of their freedoms because the lower classes living in and causes of spreading pollutions were locked up in their hovels. The histories of the Hitler’s Germany, Mussolini’s Italy, Idi Amin’s Kenya and Indira Gandhi’s emergency declaration in 1975 clearly denote the happy stances of the middle class at the arbitrary rule of dictators. Response of the middle class and economically strong groups over the sudden Lockdown was similar and oblivious to the harsh reality that the government could not control the pandemic spread despite three stretches of the Lockdown lasting 54 days. It enveloped almost a hundred thousand in its grip from less than a hundred when the freedoms were truncated with the lock down. The step merely pushed the majority in untold miseries from which many would never emerge out. All are made to pay for thoughtless measure, the lockdown, as a weapon to combat the pandemic.

For the 183 days since the pandemic took its first victim in November 2019 in China, humanity has been cowering in its dread and yet no one has sure answer whether it emerged from nature or cultivated in laboratory. It suits political needs of the American President Donald Trump to accuse China for cultivating it to adversely affect chances of Trump to win for the second term in the Presidential election due in November 2020. India is yet to take a firm stand whether to sail with Donald Trump who may not win or stay with China. Murmurs were heard. The NaMo fan club is even seeking to sue China in Indian courts to seek damages from China for the pandemics. It is merely a political stunt to exonerate the Prime Minister from any blame for uncontrolled spread.

The most surprising is the reality that the ineffectiveness or misjudgment of the authority in its belief that controlling public contacts is the only effective method for controlling the corona pandemic comes from the miseries of the class left out of benefits of the government supply of tonics. Five million migrants had undertaken their walk way back home few thousand miles away with half empty stomach and most parts of their walks were in groups that exposed them to close human contacts but none was reported to have developed infection on their way to their home state. Few perished in fatigue. Few others were victims of the hunger or accidents, yet no one lost life due to infection. Why even such massive contact did not get them infected?

On the other hand most infected in six states were of the middle class though the government has deliberately not released data relating to social status and economic class of victims. Yet 83 per cent of dead were of old age and middle class afflicted with other life threatening debilities. They may have contacted infection from others who returned from other parts of the world. There is no indication of study undertaken why only economically advanced states had higher number of victims compared to states wallowing in miseries due to lack of economic comforts. The Lockdown as sure remedy to contain its spread affected the weaker differently. They are caught in miseries due to loss of their ability to buy their food and are thus forced to survive on empty bellies and tired feet with eyes gone deep inside. But the rulers also have masks not only covering their nose but also their brains that do not allow flow of humanity to emerge and reflect in their actions.