Transformational shift of national capital: From ‘Dalalon ka Adda’ to ‘Damodonka Sahara’
Congratulations to Arvind Kejriwal (AK), Chief Minister of Delhi! His pedigree is impeccable – a former IRS Officer with his better half too an IRS Officer, manage to rode to power with Anna Hazare’s “Fight Against Corruption” platform. As Chief Minister of the National Capital Region (NCR) and “Self Styled Anarchist,” he could also derisively claim the distinction of transforming its past status of “Dalalon Ke Adda” to “Damodon ka Shehar.”
Ever since Covid-19 pandemic rocked the country since 2020, he oft repeatedly claimed for major share in the allotment of all Covid-19 Vaccines, medicines, oxygen plants, and so on with total disregard to other States fair and just share.
In retrospect, AK’s myopic view does not cross the boundaries of NCR region. He must remember that Delhi is not India, per se. but extends from Himalayas to Indira Point in Great Nicobar and Lakpat border in Gujarat to Pangshau Pass in Arunachal Pradesh.
Had he ever raised disproportionate allotment to Maharashtra or UP, one can justify his claims of “Step Motherly” treatment. In reality, Delhi proportionally got more than what its population deserves or incidence of cases merits.
AK never loses an opportunity to strike hard at Modi-led BJP government to retain his clout or strangle hold over the gullible intellectual elite of NCR Society. Ironic but true, even the judiciary has fallen into his trap to support his claims.
The latest salvo that AK has fired at Modi is by writing a letter demanding 80 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses per month to vaccinate the people of the national capital in three months. Doesn’t it sound crazy?
Call it veiled threat or whatever one may like to view it, he apparently succeeded in “halting the rollout for the 18-44 age group due to a shortage of doses” thereby laying the blame on Modi led BJP.
As usual, he has also indulged in false, fake and fraud news by highlighting in his letter that the NCRl received just 16 lakh doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in May. "In this pace, vaccinating the adult population will take 30 months," Kejriwal stated in his letter.
A sleight use of pen by AK! Note that AK has only stated MAY to scare the Delhites - Laid political Ambush for Modi led BJP. "With this speed of 8 lakh doses per month, it will take 30 months to vaccinate all the adults alone. By then, no one knows how many waves will arrive and how many deaths will occur," Kejriwal said, urging Modi to raise the quota and supply to the city immediately.
His four suggestions to Modi to boost vaccination drive includes: Order all the companies making vaccines across the country to produce Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN; import Covid-19 vaccines at a national level instead of leaving it to the states to raise global tenders; request nations that stocked Vaccines in excess to their requirement and hand them over to India; and grant approval to international vaccine manufacturers to produce vaccines in the country."
Of course, Prakash Keshav Javadekar, BJP Minister, has rebuffed him by highlighting that AK is "continuously doing politics in the name of Delhi" and “the union government has already provided 50 lakh vaccines to Delhi and shall be providing it more in the coming days also.”
Let me briefly provide Delhi’s 2021 Age-Wise Population data – total 32,56,917 people above 45-years age. And, 50 lakh Vaccines provided since the beginning. If so, all people above 45-years age should have been administered first dose. Details of population age-wise are given below:
Group | Males | Females | Total |
45-49 | 4,95,227 | 4,15986 | 9,11,213 |
50-54 | 3,76,222 | 3,11,247 | 6,87,469 |
55-59 | 2,69,185 | 2,39,707 | 5,08,892 |
60-64 | 2,38,103 | 2,33,916 | 4,73,019 |
65-69 | 1,39,396 | 1,33,054 | 2,72,450 |
70-74 | 94,947 | 94,303 | 1,89,250 |
75-79 | 50,446 | 50,247 | 1,00,693 |
80 + | 53,861 | 59,170 | 1,13,031 |
| Total Above 45-years | 32,56,017 | |
To reinforce AK, AAP MLA Atishi stated “nearly half of the vaccination sites for the 18-44 age group in Delhi are likely to be shut from Friday as the city has less than a day's stock of Covishield left…. There are 99 schools where 368 vaccination sites are there. Nearly 150 of these sites will have to close down from tomorrow owing to vaccine shortage."
Earlier this week, the Health Ministry said that the government has shared a forward plan till June 15 on vaccine doses and supply as it asked the states to prepare calendars on Cowin app, the government's digital platform for booking slots.
Over 1.6 crore doses are still available with states and union territories, an official statement this morning said.
Viewed in the foregoing, If AK and his mouthpieces are hell bent upon demanding “MORE” than their proportional share they are patently absurd and wrong.
AK must accept fair share of allotment based on “incidence rates” and population. Not to enable him on daily basis to trumpet his claims of political sagacity or wisdom. As a former IRS officer, he must know that the production capacity of the three firms are increasing step by step and cannot fall from heaven. It is time for “Know All” media houses to provide a detailed insight without bias.
In retrospect, AK wants people of NCR to be treated as “Damadon Ke Shehar” having earned in the past the dubious distinction of “Dalalon or Kala Bazar ka Adda” lest all others outside NCR and even “Delhi Society” treat him as “perpetual crying baby or real anarchist” out to destroy the nation’s fabric.
Written by Brig (Retd) G B Reddy
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