Over 15 months after he took over as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath resigned from the top post without waiting for the floor test. His move comes a day after the Supreme Court directed that a floor test be conducted in Madhya Pradesh Assembly to prove that the Congress government led by him enjoys majority in the House following the rebellion by 22 MLAs of his party. In the aftermath of losing majority Kamal Nath submitted his resignation to Governor Lalji Tandon and the end game came.
In his resignation letter, he conceded about losing majority and said he will also extend help in the development of the state. As a matter of fact he addressed a press conference before the floor test and submitted his resignation in anticipation of failing in the floor test. He accused the BJP of killing the democratic values by conspiring against his government and blamed former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia for the current political crisis in the state.
CM Shivaraj Singh Chouhan was relatively better and that’s why he stayed 15 years in his citizens’ heart. Today’s politics has all new face. Congress has succeeded by radicaling weaker community in India in terms of religious views. Now they believe that BJP is all against them. Since Congress has lost its powers from Union, they have got into dirty politics and Kamal Nath is among them. We are extremely happy as a citizen that he backed off prior to floor test.
From day one the fight between Scindia and Kamal Nath begun.The Cong could have selected some one other than Kamal Nath as CM. But due to pressure from vested interests the high command had chosen Kamal Nath. Scindia was disillusioned! The fall of the Cong Govt is their own making and they blame BJP.. As in the past, the floor test in a assembly is just fake and no useful purpose is served unless the speaker initiate right steps to bring democratic set up to the floor of the house.
In Indian assembly set up, the Governor is less powerful and the speaker is the sole proprietor. In MP the speaker tried to save Kamal Nath government. It is generally spelt that the government ‘by the people, for the people and of the people but that doctrine is not a workable solution as might is the right. How long we see the things move against the norms and done according to the whims and fancies of the ruling party. Kamal Nath’s government does not have majority and floored before the floor test. Even Corona virus could not save the government. Now Kamal Nath is out and Kamal in.
The writing is on the wall. This dynasty has to be buried in the annals of history. As a bad dream. The nation is waking up, and will not tolerate that family any more. If the party wants to do good for India, it has to start with better options asking the very few competent politicians still left in the INC to raise up against the clan, and help in the purge. Else, the party may find itself in the heap too.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Noted Islamic scholar and leading theologian, Maulana Shaikh Khalil-ur-Rahman Sajjad Nomani on Tuesday urged the Muslim community to refrain from attending congregational prayers in mosques till the (COVID-19) pandemic recedes.
The scholar’s appeal is the first categorical announcement by a top Muslim cleric to the faithful to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Nomani, considered the tallest cleric of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, is also an official spokesman of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
He said that he was issuing this appeal only after conferring with leading Islamic jurists and theologians.
After due deliberations, we have come to the decision that while Azan’ (Islamic call to prayer) in all mosques should continue as mandated in Islam, but all congregational prayers should be limited to three-four persons who are the keepers of each mosque and reside inside these mosques as caretakers, the scholar said.
He said according to the letter and spirit of Islamic teachings, it was absolutely in order if Muslims offered prayers at home in the company of their family members.
Maulana Nomani who divides his time between Raigaad in Maharashtra and Lucknow told PTI over telephone that the Muslim community should come forward and play its due role in helping the country in this hour of crisis.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who took oath on Monday night, won the confidence motion in the state Assembly this morning amid a boycott of the vote by the opposition Congress.
Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and independent MLAs in the Assembly also voted in favour of the motion. The Assembly was adjourned till March 27.
The vote comes after Kamal Nath, on March 20, tendered his resignation from the post of the Chief Minister to Governor Lalji Tandon following the resignation of 22 Congress MLAs.
Chouhan had taken charge as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for the fourth time on Monday. Chouhan had earlier served as the state’s Chief Minister between 2003 and 2018.
The Election Commission of India (EC) on Tuesday deferred the Rajya Sabha polls that were scheduled to be held on March 26 in view of coronavirus pandemic and lockdown in 32 states.
As per the reports received from the concerned returning officers, the biennial elections for 18 seats from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Rajasthan were to be conducted on March 26 and the date before which election was to be completed as earlier announced by the commission was March 30. The states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Rajasthan have issued orders of lockdown to contain the transmission of COVID-19. After reviewing the matter, the EC said that the prevailing unforeseen situation of public health emergency indicates the need for avoidance of possibilities of gatherings of any nature, which expose all concerned to a possible health hazard.
“The poll process in the above said elections would necessarily include the gathering of polling officials, agents of political parties, support officials and members of respective legislative assemblies on the poll day, which may not be suitable in related advisories in the country,” it said. Under Section 153 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the poll body has deferred the elections and extended its period.
Election Commission of India defers Rajya Sabha Poll in view of COVID-19; fresh date to be announced later.
— Election Commission of India #SVEEP (@ECISVEEP) March 24, 2020
The list of contesting candidates, already published for the said elections by the respective returning officers will remain valid for the purposes of remaining activities, as prescribed under the said notification, the EC said.
A fresh date of poll and counting for the said biennial elections will be announced in due course after reviewing the prevailing situation.
This is not the first time we are challenged with viruses and infections, COVID-19, it is natural for many people to look at past epidemics as a basis for comparison. We get encountered with Regular flu which is seasonal and serious as the virus is equally contagious. We have witnessed SARS in (2003), MERS in (2015), Swine Flu Pandemic (2009) and then Ebola, but India had no cases of Ebola virus. With these epidemics, on top of the R0 number mentioned earlier measuring contagiousness, the other number people latch onto is Case Fatality Rate (CFR), or the number of deaths per number infected. When it comes to COVID-19 it is highly contagious and transmissible during the asymptomatic incubation stages. Couple with that, the course of the disease is all over the place. There are two types of people who are worried about Coronavirus; one who travel frequently and meet so many people from other parts of the world and the other who are always living in fear of something or the other. There are also two types of people who do not worry about the virus; one the daredevils who give a damn to anything and those who are really in a safe environment. These two categories do not understand the perception of each other.
By WHO estimates, 80 per cent of infections do not require treatment beyond management of symptoms, the same as one would manage an influenza or common cold infection. Some cases are/will be so mild that the infected person will think that they have a chest cold and not COVID-19. What does all this mean? COVID-19 will spread – period. Fussing over getting infected is not going to do much good. Prevention is now the key instead of containment. Hand-washing, self-isolating if one is sick (even if they don’t think they have COVID-19 or have no perceived risk of getting it,) and only seeking medical treatment if symptoms worsen. Fussing over ensuring people do the proper thing to prevent the spread as much is possible is worth it, but worrying over what will happen if one gets the virus is pointless. Finally, experts are still gathering data on the virus, how it works and an ultimate mortality rate. One of the problems is estimating the number of people who got infected and recovered without being identified. An accurate count as possible to determine just how deadly the virus is important.
Realistically, we will all die of something, someday. To worry over whether COVID-19 will be one’s ticket to the next life isn’t worth it. Could it be the next ‘big thing’ like SARS and MERS was also thought to have been? Right now, what we need is attitude to stay safe and stop spreading panic or forwards. We all grew up watching how the media handled a dozen different “potential” outbreaks or threats. People today often have a short-term memory or no knowledge of the past. When AIDS came around, it was being handled similarly. The only difference at all is that we had no Internet. So, it was easy for people to go on living lives without being bombarded with information. But the media we did have acted the same trying to always paint a dark picture of everything. With Coronavirus it is no different. It has become more of a social experiment like everything today. And if you research you will find that it’s another ploy to find a way to push a vaccine. Vaccines are the number one way to get all people injected with DNA altering drugs and other experimental junk.
Human kid lived in this world for many thousands of years with viruses. The biggest virus we have is disinformation. History that is often referenced in the media is either fabricated or altered. To get you scared. But use logic. What is a virus? It’s something that invades and attacks. It replicates itself but is limited at some point. It is also unwanted. This sounds like the social media. It invades our lives. Being spread through minds. Negatively. Wreaking havoc on society. Face the facts. We live in a paranoid sellout society. The paid puppets who have invaded our media, governments, and many avenues are parroting information based on theories, fear and hypothesis. Meanwhile, the less profitable flu is killing people. As well as other lung diseases. Well, there’s a wide range of different stories that are out there. They range from misinformation about – simply about the rate at which the disease is spreading, misinformation about how many people it’s killing. And then you get some really wild stuff out there like stories that it might have been a bio-weapon – it is not – sort of anything that could capture the imagination, get people scared, get people to spread them further.
Do not get carried away and terror yourself, live within the four walls by supporting lockdown, keep check on your health. As you know Corona can affect your respiratory system, stop drinking cold water, or stop being in too much of AC, workout and keep body warm. Meditate and eat healthy. Government is doing its bit, support the guidelines given by authorities, and most importantly if you feel slightly uncomfortable please take medical advice. Stay safe.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)
Maharashtra government has called for complete lock down, as the total number of Coronavirus cases in India rose to 467 on Monday after 30 fresh cases were reported, according to Health Ministry data. The figure includes 41 foreign nationals and the nine deaths reported so far. The 467 figures also include 24 people who have been cured, discharged or migrated, it said. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said 18,383 samples have been tested till 10 am on Monday. Maharashtra is worst hit with 97 confirmed cases.
Kerala has the second highest number of cases at 91. COVID-19 has so far claimed two lives in Maharashtra. Delhi has reported 30 positive cases, while Uttar Pradesh records 25 cases. We asked civil society people, what have they learned from this Pandemic, many of them shared their experience with us to help our readers to understand various aspects and opinions of people.
Siddhant Mohite, President for OYE – Organization for Youth and Elderly said, “The WHO has declared Novel Coronavirus as a pandemic and we need to take this very seriously. This is not like any other virus, it is more lethal and severe. As said by our health practitioners, we should stay home and practice social distancing for everyone’s betterment. We will have to fight this together!”
The government is taking strict measures to stem the spread of the deadly Coronavirus, which has killed seven people. Gujarat, Bihar and Maharashtra reported a death each on Sunday, while four deaths were earlier reported from Karnataka, Delhi, Maharashtra and Punjab, the Health Ministry said. Seventy-five cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru went into complete lockdown till 31 March. Trains, metros and inter-state buses have been shut from Monday, only essential services like milk, vegetables, medicines, grocery and ATMs will be available during the shutdown.
Shishir Sharma Bollywood Actor told Afternoon Voice, “The first and foremost was to understand the extent of what this virus can cause. The term Pandemic virtually created a panic amongst the people of the world. Rumours were floating which created even more panic. The lesson learnt from this is to stay calm and shut out all rumours. It’s an unfortunate phenomenon that has hit the world. Stay calm, safe and healthy.”
Rupal Mistry, Animation Film Director said, “This pandemic is an eye opener which has introduced us to the fact how vulnerable and unprepared we are to such height contagious pandemics. This viral experience has brought the whole globe to a standstill. India needs to fortify its citizen’s future with best of health care, hygiene care, welfare policies & educate the masses to follow instructions in the healthy contexts. Government definitely needs to gear up the medical emergency facilities for such worst-case scenarios which are today’s reality.”
Ramesh Rajput, Activist said, “Learnt that health is wealth, no amount of wealth can save us from diseases which is unknown to mankind. We will always be vulnerable to such calamities, also learnt that in such cases rules should be followed should keep ourselves updated, should know the right way to get treated and above all should take care of yourself and help others, how much ever we can, to curb this menace. Our PM Narendra Modi and government of India is doing great work please support them whole heartedly. Stay indoor and stay safe. God bless all.”
Senior Advocate Rohini Salian said, “We the mortal human beings should learn that the nature is our creator and also the destroyer. We have forgotten this sole fact and think that we can dictate our terms with the Mother Earth by our treachery. Pray to nature’s force to save our country and the earth. Save the humankind from the petty politicians.”
Veteran Actress Moushumi Chatterjee said “People are thinking about only themselves; I am worried about stray animals and pets. Someone should think of their welfare and safety too.”
Miloni Chudasama, Content Writer at The Social Lions said, ”COVID-19 is not like any other virus that we have seen in an earlier time. It is widespread around the world, and therefore, calling it a ‘situation’ would be totally vague. People are losing their lives, thus, we all need to take this very seriously and fight against it unanimously. Let’s stay home and stay safe!”
Shivani Lokhande, HR Executive said, “Two things that I learned from the pandemic Coronavirus are that, we people were so dependent on materialistic things for our happiness that eventually we became distant from our own loved ones. Now that there’s lockdown everywhere and it’s a golden opportunity to rebuild the bond with family. We humans are so habituated to fast lifestyle, now that all of sudden this slowdown is like an alien feeling for us. Another thing our parents, school had taught us “WASH YOUR HANDS NEAT AND CLEAN” we had ignored that thing later on we felt it as nagging, but that very good habit has proven very much important to us.”
Archana Mohan Sharma, Social Activist said, “Let us all unite for humanity and help lives by avoiding unnecessary movements. Government is taking all necessary measures for ensuring well being of all but it has to be collective efforts of all that will help fight the invisible enemy Coronavirus. The government should deploy government vans in areas with essentials to avoid overcrowding at grocery, vegetables outlets and control hiking in prices of essential commodities. As some traders are taking advantage of the situation by hiking the prices of commodities.”
Sumita Chakraborty, Editor said, “To enjoy self-isolation. To enjoy being in my own company. In the race for success, you tend to forget yourself. This self isolation gave me ‘me time’. Time to write, cook, paint, watch movies. Also I learned to enjoy the OCD effect. Wash your hands and feet several times. Lastly I learned that Mother Nature is supreme. She always takes over her planet. This one day of no pollution had the birds coming out. The air was cleaner. I enjoyed the sound of silence.”
Sanjay Malkar said, “During our school days we learnt about ‘plague’. Villagers used to leave their homes to protect themselves from this disease. After so many years, we all are actually experiencing similar phase. So many people were leaving Mumbai without bothering about their own lives. Everyone wanted to just run away from the threat of CORONA. But have they succeeded or worsened the situation? Only TIME will prove it.”
RTI activist Shailesh Gandhi said, “The enemy of humankind does not respect the divisions of country, religion, caste, sex or ideology. Will we draw appropriate lessons from this event?”
Journalist Karishma Chawla said, “On Sunday (March 22) the entire nation came together at 5 pm to encourage the people working in essential services to combat Coronavirus. And I can say I am proud to be an Indian. On one hand, there is a certain category who still doesn’t want to understand however on the other hand majority people know the seriousness of the situation and one thing Corona has taught us is to stay united as a country.”
On Monday Maharashtra Housing Minister and senior NCP leader Jitendra Awhad said that people were not following social distancing or lockdown rules properly. Due to this Awhad has asked the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to clamp curfew in more areas in the state to effectively tackle the novel Coronavirus outbreak.
Awhad who is an MLA from Mumbra-Kalwa in Thane district said he toured his area on Monday and found a lot of people and vehicles out on the streets despite of the lockdown order in the state.
Several major cities of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Thane, are under partial lockdown with only essential services being exempted. As the total number of COVID -19 patients in Maharashtra rose to 89. According to an official 15 more Coronavirus positive cases reported in the last 24 hours.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday announced the statewide curfew in the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic.
“Today I am compelled to announce a statewide curfew. People were not listening and we are compelled,” said Thackeray.
He also said that the government is sealing district borders to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the districts which are not affected by it. Maharashtra has 89 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
“Yesterday we sealed the state borders and today we are sealing district borders. We will not allow it to spread to the districts which are unaffected as of now,” said Thackeray.
“Essentials like groceries, milk, bakery, medical, etc will remain open. People need not panic. All religious places will remain closed. Only the priests and clerics alone will be inside and pray. Today I am compelled to announce a statewide curfew. People were not listening and we are compelled,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has announced a “full curfew” in the state “with no relaxations” in a bid to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Modi has asked state governments to ensure rules of lockdown are followed properly and called on citizens to take the issue seriously.
“Many people are still not taking the lockdown seriously. Please save yourself by doing this, save your family, follow the instructions seriously. I request the state governments to ensure the rules and laws are followed,” he tweeted.
The number of coronavirus positive patients in India rose to 415 on Monday, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Air India passenger planes are seen parked at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport in Mumbai, India, February 7, 2017. (REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui)
Domestic flights in India will stop at midnight Tuesday, as authorities strengthen a lockdown that has shuttered large parts of the country against the spread of the coronavirus.
Airlines will have to land domestic passenger flights at destinations by 11.59 pm on Tuesday, said a spokesperson for the aviation ministry on Monday, adding that the restrictions would not apply to cargo flights. The ministry immediately didn’t give a date when domestic flights will resume. The country banned international flights for a week on March 20.
India had 415 coronavirus cases and seven deaths until Monday noon but health experts have warned that a big jump could be imminent, which would overwhelm the underfunded and crumbling public health infrastructure.
India is planning a rescue package worth as much as $1.6 billion for the aviation sector, which has been battered after the coronavirus outbreak forced countries to close borders and brought air travel to a near-halt, Reuters reported last week.
Governments the world over are scrambling to rescue airlines that have been forced to park planes and cut jobs as the virus puts the brakes on travel. Airlines may need a bailout of more than $200 billion, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates.
The quarantine facilities in India are not properly run and people are complaining about the bad behavior of the health authorities. In fact, even health workers are complaining about not being properly equipped. An important issue which the government should consider is the psychological health of quarantined people. Quarantine can cause many psychological problems.
To overcome these outcomes, the government must properly train the people of taking care of quarantine places. The government must also give people as much information as possible by telling them what and why this is happening and when it will end, provide them with meaningful entertainment/activities, educate them, provide adequate supplies of food, medicine, internet and a safe space for meeting relatives and friends.
There are many people in our neighbourhood and in our housing societies who are poor; so it’s time for us to help them out and give them the real message of humanity. Hence, I request everyone to please help your needy neighbours and let nobody sleep without food because being human is our responsibility, just as our Lord Jesus Christ said, “Love your neighbour just as you love yourself” (Matthew 22:39).
Many people also keep blaming the Coronavirus pandemic on globalisation, and they say that the only way to stop more outbreaks is social distancing and to de-globalise the world, stop working or going to offices and universities, restrict travel, build walls and reduce trade. However, short-term isolation is important to stop the epidemic, but long-term isolation will lead to economic collapse and downfall without offering any real protection against this disease.
We need to keep one thing in mind that the actual antidote to Corona-virus is not isolation, but rather co-operation. Years ago, epidemics like Spanish flu, plague, Ebola and Cholera killed billions of people all over the world and it was long before the current age of globalisation. The history of epidemics teaches us that we cannot really stop these epidemics from spreading just by closing borders and get isolated because even in the Middle Ages, they spread rapidly.
The real protection comes from sharing scientific information which is reliable and it comes from global unity. When one country suffers from pandemic, it should be able to share the true information about the outbreaks without fear of economic calamity while other countries should trust that information and provide a helping hand rather than showing a cold shoulder to the victim. Lock downs are essential for stopping the spread of the virus, but it could also lead to economic collapse.
Humanity needs to guard the borders between the human world and virus-sphere but not borders between countries.
If the epidemic results in closer global co-operation, it will be a victory not only against the Corona-virus, but against all future viruses too.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Over 15 months after he took over as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath resigned from the top post without waiting for the floor test. His move comes a day after the Supreme Court directed that a floor test be conducted in Madhya Pradesh Assembly to prove that the Congress government led by him enjoys majority in the House following the rebellion by 22 MLAs of his party. In the aftermath of losing majority Kamal Nath submitted his resignation to Governor Lalji Tandon and the end game came.
