MyVoice: Views of our readers 24h October 2020

A vote for vaccine?

The BJP has sunk to a new low with its poll promise of free vaccine against Covid-19 for the people of Bihar ("BJP manifesto promises free Covid vaccine; Oppn hits back", October 23). It is nauseating that 'a party with a difference' is dangling the non-existent vaccine for Covid-19 in front of the voters to woo them. The electorate are sought to be dehumanised when they are asked to barter votes for vaccines. It is sheer moral bankruptcy to attempt to make political capital out of a pandemic that has discombobulated our lives.

While it is true that there is nothing novel about political parties coming up with very many freebies in their election manifestos, the offer of free vaccine as a poll promise by a political party in the vain hope of inveigling itself into the voters' affections is a blatant breach of the basic decencies of civilized society. We thought everyone would have access to the vaccine as and when it was developed and made available as an extension of the right to life and as a matter of right and not as a favour or as a poll freebie. The country belongs to the people; the government is only tasked to manage its affairs.

We expected Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his capacity as the country's helmsman to assure the nation in one of his televised addresses that his government would ensure free universal vaccination against Covid-19. The implication of BJP's poll promise is that the rest of India has to wait till Assembly elections to receive the vaccine. Significantly, Modi carefully and tactfully skirted this poll promise in his Bihar rallies.

The vaccine-for-vote formula exposes BJP's flawed mental make-up and its contempt for the impoverished multitudes. The majority of voters in Bihar as elsewhere may be poor, but they are not without self-respect and intelligence to see through the link drawn by BJP between a life-saving pharmaceutical intervention and the exercise of their enfranchisement. Clearly, BJP's think tanks who conceived the gimmicky idea of free distribution of Covid-19 vaccine on election-eve were bereft of an understanding of the value of human dignity.

Obviously the offer of free vaccine was made in a forlorn attempt to cancel out the Bihar government's mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic and in particular, its utter and unconscionable indifference to the plight of migrant workers. Meanwhile, we hope that the report that the Union government has set aside Rs.50000 crore for nationwide vaccination is true. For the vaccination programme to succeed, it should be a collective national endeavour and not a partisan political exertion.

G David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

II

Governments in the past took responsibility to combat pandemics and supplied vaccination gracefully across the country free of cost but pitiably the present Modi government promises free vaccine only to a particular state that is going to polls shortly (October 23 ). The move is nothing but blackmailing the people of Bihar to vote for the BJP alliance. It is a shame that Modi government wants to encash the fears of people, when majority of them lost livelihood due to virus.

Kshirasagara Balaji Rao, Hyderabad

III

Poll campaign in Bihar reached its nadir with the announcement of a free shot of Covid vaccine to the electorate. Why not announce free treatment in a corporate hospital and also special space in a crematorium if one dies along with a bunch of mourners The last promise that is left is asking people to sit at home and their salaries remitted to their bank accounts. All this is to grab power by hook or crook. This is the height of hoodwinking electorate.

DSP Rao, Kakinada

IV

No doubt, poll promises have no face value anywhere on earth. Still BJP promising every Bihari a free vaccine for corona if being voted to power is a bit unpalatable. It can be comparable only to promise by POTUS that every American citizen would get vaccinated by coming April. Anyway such promises of unrealistic nature, where no vaccine is at near sight, let alone completely ready in the midst of pandemic is unfair. Instead, the political parties should promise the people about their ideas on dwindling economy, loss of jobs, migrant issues and myriad of other problems. Because at this stage and scenario promising moon is more rationale than promising vaccine to all, which is not yet ready.

D V G Sankararao, Nellimarla

V

Promising freebies, goodies, cash rewards has become an accepted way of fighting elections everywhere. By promising a vaccine free of cost to the voters in Bihar, the BJP has apparently gained an edge over their opponents who have left with no choice except crying foul. In a sense the BJP is right in its stand as Bihar is one of the poorest states and most people cannot afford to buy a life saving vaccine.

Therefore the question of morals in using the Covid-19 pandemic for political mileage doesn't hold water because our netas strongly believe that all is fair in love,war,and politics. It is hoped that one day someone would come up with a vaccine that would immunise people from falling prey to election baits.

Matam Somasekhar Prasad, Hyderabad