Ahmedabad blues

Sluggish measures, flawed decisions and more have worsened Covid-19 crisis in Gujarat

50-Vijay-Rupani In the line of fire: Vijay Rupani | Janak Patel

IN APRIL, more than two dozen Covid-19 patients spent hours on the streets after they were denied admission to the 1,200-bed Ahmedabad Civil Hospital in Gujarat. After a video clip showing their plight went viral, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani blamed those who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, one of India’s biggest Covid-19 clusters, for the increase in the number of infections in the state.

The government failed to prevent protest gatherings. Migrant labourers in Surat have hit the streets four times in the past six weeks.

Rupani’s statement was politically expedient and hardly surprising. What was surprising, though, was the speed with which the police swung into action, quietly identifying Tablighi members who had returned to Gujarat, tracking their primary contacts, quarantining them and taking measures to prevent communal flare-ups.

There are more than 9,000 Covid-19 patients in Gujarat now; about 550 have died. Ahmedabad alone accounts for 67 per cent of cases and 77 per cent of deaths. Since Muslims make up only 9 per cent of the six crore people in the state, Rupani can no longer blame the minority community for the worsening crisis.

Lack of vision and coordination have been evident in the government’s response to the pandemic. Rupani, who has been keeping a low profile, does not appear to be in command. Nor does he see eye to eye with Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel. Bureaucrats fighting the pandemic are taking pains to give credit to both the leaders.

The first two Covid-19 cases in Gujarat were reported on March 19. The state government woke up to the threat rather late, because it had been busy organising the Namaste Trump event in Ahmedabad on February 24. “At a time when the World Health Organization had issued warnings about Covid-19, thousands of people came for the event. This could have been avoided,” said Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil.

The initial response to the pandemic was riddled with missteps and flawed decisions. The government made U-turns on several announcements, adding to the confusion regarding lockdown rules. In Ahmedabad, Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra had to quarantine himself after two persons he had met tested positive. Nehra has since been sidelined, reportedly because he had failed to take the political leadership into confidence.

In Ahmedabad and Surat, only shops selling milk and medicines were allowed to open. The decision was taken apparently to contain potential “super-spreaders”—vegetable vendors and grocery shop owners—but the government failed to make alternative arrangements.

The fight against the pandemic also suffered from poor coordination. A case in point is the situation at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, which has one of Asia’s biggest Covid-19 wards. Bureaucrats have been accused of threatening doctors, while doctors have been accused of not taking heed of suggestions of public health experts.

In a bid to set things in order, the government has brought in Dr M.M. Prabhakar, the hospital’s former medical superintendent. Prabhakar, who had been transferred to the medical education department, knows the staff well and is expected to streamline operations.

Experts say the rising number of Covid-19 cases in Gujarat was the result of the poorly implemented lockdown. Elected representatives and political workers have not been of much help in spreading awareness and preventing infections. “The BJP’s booth-level management during elections is considered to be very good,” said Rohit Prajapati, a Vadodara-based activist. “Where are these managers now? They should be asking people to follow social distancing rules and helping migrant workers.”

Sociologist Gaurang Jani said the crisis showed the collective failure of the BJP government. “They blamed the Tablighis and did nothing for a month,” said Jani.

Rupani himself failed to take adequate safety measures. Congress legislator Imran Khedawala, who was part of a delegation that visited Rupani in April, tested positive within hours of the meeting. Rupani was forced to go into isolation for more than a week.

The government also failed to prevent protest gatherings. Migrant labourers in Surat have hit the streets four times in the past six weeks. Rupani had announced in April that labourers, including those from outside the state, would be given rations free of cost. But the project does not seem to be working properly. The labourers reportedly have to walk at least two kilometres carrying their utensils to get supplies. Also, children are not provided food if they do not accompany their parents.

The alleged poor handling of the Covid-19 crisis has spawned rumours that the BJP’s national leadership wants Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to replace Rupani as chief minister. Mandaviya, however, has denied it. “Rumours of a change in leadership will only damage Gujarat’s interests,” he said. “I have spoken to Vijaybhai and requested him to take action against those who are spreading such rumours.”

On May 11, Dhaval Patel, editor of the news portal Face of Nation, was arrested for publishing a report suggesting that Rupani would be removed. He was charged with section 124A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code and section 54 (punishment for false alarm) of the Disaster Management Act.

Rupani’s poor show could be the reason that senior bureaucrat K. Kailashnathan has been asked to take charge of the Covid-19 response. Known as Modi’s close confidant, Kailashnathan is chief principal secretary to the chief minister. All front-line workers and senior officials are now reporting to Kailashnathan.

BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said Rupani had performed well. “He is capable and has taken quick decisions,” said Pandya. “He holds discussions and monitors everything, taking decisions that are big and small.”

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