Hoodwinking the Bihari with free vaccine promise

This has reference to the article 'Of hollow promises, humiliating bonhomie'(dated 24th October,20). Bihar elections are no litmus test either for BJP-JDU combine or LJP or Mahagathbandhan, because each party has failed Bihar in every possible way. Nitish Kumar who like an trapeze artiste jumped from Lalu's swing to catch BJP rope in time made mockery of mandate. BJP shamelessly accepted the bait and went on to govern Bihar like they were elected to rule. Actually they selected to rule with connivance of Machiavellian Nitish.

Nitish turned out to be a pale shadow of self in this tenure. He was seen faring poorly in every which way. He made booze ban his main plank, allowed government's revenue to take the bullet, did nothing to beef up revenue by helping new industries to establish and create employment for the locals. Biharis continue to be work fodder for other states because in the name of development each government has hoodwinked them.

BJP which is now promising free vaccine and promising to create 19 lakh jobs is talking through its hat. What it did in the last five years is nothing they can quite justify. Nitish's lacklustre performance notwithstanding, opposition parties are even much worse than BJP-JDU combine. RJD , LJP and concoction brewed with Congress as a whole is a bunch of discredited, corrupt and inefficient conglomerate of opportunists eyeing power to milk the state for their selfish interests.

In this tragic melodrama, the average Bihari dies in the first scene, rest of characters seems to be fighting over dead remains and legacy of the much glorified diseased. The ball is now clearly in people's court who needs to break the stereotype and choose some grain from heap of chaff. Easier said than done. But only a change in vote pattern which should reject casteist leanings and select best candidates with good credentials. People should ask BJP if they are going to charge for the vaccine to states who are not going to polls as of now?

Bholey Bhardwaj, Mumbai

Populism pops up in Bihar polls

BJP's "vaccine shot" at Bihar drawing criticism from opposition with congress going to far length to question vaccine promise in BJP's manifesto appears only to score brownie points even as legal experts and former election commission officials are of the opinion that welfare promises made in manifesto by a party ahead of the polls cannot be stopped because it may not constitute corrupt practice or amount to a violation of model code of conduct.

In other words, when freebies in the form of free essentials, household consumer goods etc have been included practically in every political party manifesto ahead of state and national polls since decades, election commission could not be able to restrain any party as long as it did not violate constitutional principles or stand to vitiate the poll process. If this has been so, BJP taking the lead to provide free vaccine to all in Bihar leading to opposition calling political lollipop and face-off over Covid vaccine offer only shows their desperation.

Though freebies in general is considered unjustified, every party has been resorting to before every poll to attract voters on the plea that it a promise connected to health, nutrition and well-being of people and therefore even EC and Courts deemed it fit not to intervene as long as it is within the ambit of "welfare" promise. But when the nation is painstakingly waging a battle to end Covid, opposition is questioning free vaccine promise taking a political turn knowing well that vaccine talk keeping aside pressing issues concerning the common name will only whip up mass euphoria and expectations.

However unjustified the claim of the opposition that Covid vaccine delivery is a complex issue, the issue cannot be brushed under the carpet as "welfare" promise to save lives of people from the virus. Not lagging behind, other states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh following suit jumped on the free vaccine bandwagon by announcing free vaccine for all. Now that Politics over vaccine taking centre-stage instead of addressing pressing issues of restructuring economy and growing unemployment, this clearly affirms that all political parties have a single point agenda to win elections using all gimmicks at any cost.

What a fall from grace by the Centre and the states who instead of trying to coordinate vaccination strategies and ensure a definite vaccine delivery mechanism is witnessing volley of questions been raised over blatant populism even as unethical promise rule the poll campaign. In a nutshell, when health been a state subject and state governments has to take a call over vaccine distribution once ready under universal programme, politics taking precedence aggravating the situation at a time when the nation is going through economic crisis and state states under severe financial constraints is self-defeating.

But as hopes are still alive, allpolitical parties keeping in view of health of people been paramount at all times must come together in this critical hour and pave a national strategy so that every eligible citizen is vaccinated within a time-frame, otherwise it tantamounts to mockery of democracy and the entire health system.

K R Srinivasan,

Secunderabad