VSK TN
Jawahirullah of Manitha Neya Makkal Katchi has accused the TN Chief minister that omissions and commission of the govt have led to the recent spike in corona infection in the state, the Chennai metro in particular. (His claim has been rubbished by an official who said that increase in testing has led to the spike). Jawahirullah cited the relaxation on April 28, the day prior to four day total shut down, There were rush of people in the market, defying the “social distancing” to get the essentials to get over four days total down. The incubation time for the infection is 14 days, the spike in the last couple of days are not due to the April 28 breach of norms, which Jawahirullah also knows well. Is he really concerned about the consequences of the pandemic entering next stage, community transmission? No, it is clear; he wants to side track the narrative that the TN state govt has been bending over backwards to appease the Muslims, say observers. Latest in the TN Govt’s appeasement efforts is its GO calling all the private educational institutions ,exempting minority ones, to hand over their premises to Chennai Corporation to be made as temporary hospitals , quarantine centers. TN public is worried over the govt allowing the minority community to defy the norms/rules during this pandemic, ignoring the consequences. The rice given to Mosques was not distributed to houses; Ramzan “gruel” is prepared and distributed in public places leading to jostling by crowds. A group of 16 Muslim IAS and IPS officials thought it fit to ask Muslims to feed the poor during Ramzan with the gruel at this juncture. This appeal has triggered sharp reaction in facebook posts. Will these people ever learn from the fall out of such an attempt. In north Chennai Muslims broke the barricades, fought with police, challenged and openly defied social distancing. is it their intention to spread the virus, even at the cost of members of its own community?. TN Chief Minister and his teams efforts to contain the epidemic are diluted by his inability or wanton inaction against the minority community. Better late than never, will the CM enforce the lockdown and social distancing at least in the fist two weeks of May now that the Centre has further extended the lockdown upto May 18?