–TheNewsweb Special Correspondent
As chief minister Nitish Kumar and other ruling NDA leaders as well as ministers have expressed shock over the death of saffron party MLC Sunil Singh in Patna AIIMS on July 21 night panic, anger and frustration grip the rank and file of ruling alliance. Singh 69, suffering from Corona Virus had an heart attack. He was already inflicted from different chronic diseases like hyper-tension and diabetes. He was originally from Darbhanga district and was hospitalised nine days earlier.
On the other hand Ajit Kumar Sinha, the personal assistant of rural works minister Shailesh Kumar, also succumbed to COVID-19.This is not the isolated case of Corona Virus spreading among the officialdom. Bihar’s home secretary Amir Subhani, several top police officials, a couple of district magistrates, SPs and other officials are also suffering from the disease.
As many of the officials and employees are engaged in election training programmes and related meetings, especially in air-conditioned rooms or halls they are fast falling victim to COVID-19. Since the top brass of the BJP and several Janata Dal United leaders are suffering from the pandemic despondency and hopelessness loom large in the camps of these two parties.
In contrast the third NDA constituents, the Lok Janshakti Party,is critical of the BJP-JDU combine and its leaders are repeatedly accusing the state government of letting the people of Bihar down at this crucial hour when it is facing the acute health crisis and flood.
The LJP had joined chorus with the opposition and is charging that the BJP and JDU are more concerned with Assembly election and not interested in saving the lives of the people. Social media is flooded with messages not only from the common folk but even hardened BJP supporters who are directly blaming the party top brass for the spread of the pandemic in Bihar in the last one and half month, that is after the June 7 virtual rally by Union home minister Amit Shah.
They are now accusing the party central leadership of throwing them into the election preparations four months ahead of the poll. The rally was held even a day before the June 8 lifting of lockdown in Bihar. The workers were send to all the nooks and corners of Bihar to install 73,000 LED screens so that Shah’s speech could be watched and heard.
The saffron party did not stop here. Throwing all norms and rules to the wind election related meetings became almost a daily phenomenon. All this were happening when the common folk were facing the police brunt in the name of enforcing lockdown. The sudden surge in the number of COVID cases, especially among the ruling alliance politicians and officials–including a large number from CM’s bungalow, and secretariat– have led to the flooding of the hospitals in Patna by VIP patients.
The lesser mortals have been left to fend for themselves. The condition outside Patna is simply pathetic with hardly any preparation to face the normal situation–not to speak of pandemic. After the death of saffron party MLC the NDA workers are asking as to why their leaders insisting so much before camera that the Assembly poll would be held on time.
Whenever the RJD and Congress leaders would seek its postponement the BJP and JDU bigwigs would attack the opposition that they are running away from the poll. What worries the NDA workers is that by unnecessary going all out for the election so early their leaders have committed a big blunder.
Now hardly anyone is keen to work in the field or attend the meetings in AC rooms. Instead they are facing the wrath of the common people in their respective localities and villages and are being accused of spreading Corona Virus.
