Targettig of Hindu Vegetable vendors

The ongoing COVID is creating new social issues. The most recent being targeting Hindu vegetable vendors for having planted saffron flags (bhagwa) on their selling carts. These vendors are doing a very practical thing of ensuring the buyers identify them as different. These vendors are aware of the happenings around and are using the flag as a competitive advantage. There may be ethical issues in this but that is for another day. The current issue is a result of news about Tablighis and some Muslim vendors spitting on vegetables, fruits and currency with an alleged purpose of infecting the larger society. Some of these may be partially true, blown out of proportion etc but some of these things did happen. Attacks and spitting on police forces in mohallahs is also adding weight to the story. There is enough evidence of these attacks on social media.

Lots of social media activity on the above is suddenly bringing awareness all around and Hindu vendors obviously being sensitive to the issue are trying to differentiate themselves. The issue came into light when police in Nizamabad( Telangana) removed flags from Hindu vendors and also booked cases. The local MP came out strongly and defended the rights of the vendors to plant a bhagwa since it is their belief. He rightly pointed out that they are protected under article 25 of the constitution which gives right to profess one's beliefs. We have seen many such instances in other states and it is now spreading fast across. It is no one's case that this should happen. It is simply the case of lack of leadership in the Muslim community. Not a soul condemned the behavior of the Tablighis.

Media all over is questioning Hindu vendors since we are "secular" state. But no one is coming forward to ask the hard questions to the Muslim leadership on the behavior of the Tablighis, in spreading the virus and attacking doctors and nurses. Behavior of the some vendors and distribution of such videos on social media with a view to scare certain sections of the population. The police in their eagerness and lack of understanding of the law are harassing the Hindu vendors and threatening to file cases.

The current situation should be seen as a continuation of the events since article 370, CAA, JNU, Shaheen bagh, Delhi riots, Tablighi, attacking hindus in Gulf, etc. There is a clear attempt to malign India, make it look bad in the international community and destabilize.

Yogi takes his own path

Yogi Adiyanath on March 20th became the first BJP Chief Minister of UP to complete 3 years in office. When he first took oath people felt that Modi has appointed one more of his version but with saffron robes. While the BJP/RW supporters felt it was a great choice the other side announced that UP will be finished due to the supposedly communal appointment. They prophesized that there will be communal riots, law and order break down, no development etc.

3 years on Yogi has turned to be a man of his own. While still under the shadow of PM Modi he is creating his own brand/image. His welfare and development policies, honest actions (does what he says), excellent communication skills and agility (swiftness in thinking) is definitely positioning him for the top leadership position in the future. He has made himself acceptable to the country with his all-round performance. Every decision of his has an element of surprise. Even in the case of COVID directives from the central government Yogi has modified directives in the way it suits his execution plan.

Uttar Pradesh which has the highest density of population in the country poses a serious challenge in tackling Corona. With about 970 cases as of April 18th seems to be in control of the situation. Yogi’s actions since lock down are commendable for he took care of people welfare, creating jobs through MNREG in agriculture sector and at the same time empowering police to drive law and order.

His decision last week of moving 7000 students from Kota, Rajasthan to their home state took every one by surprise. Apparently there was online activity by these students asking for help and here comes the help. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar comments looked sheepish. He should have kept quiet if he could not take his state students back. Of course there is an element of risk in Yogi’s action but he is clear in his mind that risk taken is better under the circumstances. There is as much risk of contracting the virus in a cramped hostel room.

His action of moving migrant UP labor from Anand Vihar was timely and shows his quick thinking. AAP govt in Delhi could not provide food and shelter to these labor who were left to fend for themselves. Though there was blame game it was clear APP govt did not get points for the poor handling of this issue.

His promise of delivering vegetables, milk and essentials to 23cr people at their door steps shows his ability to scale and at the same time taking stringent actions against violators shows his determination to be in control of the situation. The Moradabad incident on April 16th where there was stone pelting on health workers, 17 were arrested including Seven Women on the same day after a 3 am hearing. Don’t mess with this man. If India needs clean up it should start from UP and we have the right man there.

Is India flattening the COVID-19 curve

Is India flattening the COVID-19 curve
Different countries are taking different strategies to address the Corona pandemic. India with its meagre resources in Medical Infra, Health care Professionals and Cash has chosen a “flattening the curve” approach to slow down the spread of the pandemic. This approach basically delays the spread of the virus ensuring that large numbers don’t get sick at the same time. Prime Minister has been proactive in giving this message to the people of the country. On multiple occasions he stressed the importance of social distancing as a key measure in tackling the spread. He in fact walking the talk by through his spaced-out cabinet meetings and through Video conferences.
Proactive measures taken by India are proving to be effective in flattening the curve –
• Isolation ( for suspect cases – 14 days )
• Sec 144 or no gathering of people
• Closing of educational institutions
• Social distancing – 6 ft
• Quarantine for positive cases
• Working from home
These measures have been appreciated by the WHO and India should adhere to this strategy.

A rapid “doubling rate” can spell big trouble, as even countries with advanced healthcare systems can become overwhelmed by the sheer number of cases. Image: Drew Harris, CDC
Source -https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/covid19-coronavirus-countries-infection-trajectory/


India is an early starter in imposing COVID-19 related travel restrictions. This has led to huge positives since many foreign returnees from Europe and US turned out to be carries.
1. Ban on domestic and international arrivals Mar 23rd
2. Ban on Rail travels since Mar 23rd
3. Ban on Inter state and Intra state bus travels
4. Band on public gatherings etc
By doing so India has contained people to people transmission quiet drastically. The Prime Minister more than any other world leader has used his personal image in rallying the nation and its people to come together on two occasions 1. Clapping/applauding to recognize the services of the Medical professionals 2. Lighting lamps to show solidarity, these are symbolic events to rally human energy to defeat a common enemy.
Countries which took partial steps in clamping down travel and social restrictions are faring badly – UK, US and Spain. Singapore delayed foreign travel restrictions and has now imposed ban due to rising cases. Look at the economist view of how strict government actions is slowing down virus spread.

credit : economist

The below trend for India as of 6th April,2020 which is the 14th day of lockdown ( 4000+ cases). The trajectory seems not indicating any plateau as of now, but one needs to wait. Popular wisdom is India has not yet peaked and it may flatten after 10,000 cases. The Tablighi issue has contributed to at least 30% of these cases . The other question is will increased testing also increase daily growth of cases drastically ?

Critics tried to make the social initiatives taken by the PM a laughing matter. One of the southern film stars Kamal Hasan wrote a public letter to the PM criticizing his approach in tacking COVID-19, it was a poorly drafted letter without any new ideas to share. The congress party chief also tried to poke holes in the strategy but was slammed all-round. Ramchandra Guha, Shashi Tharoor, Omar Abdullah etc are active in trying to bring down the PM but the general public are in agreement with the overall approach.
Unfortunately, due to lack of a sure cure medicine countries are trying various methods and the best non-medical intervention seems to be stay safe – practice social distancing, wash hands frequently, wear gloves and masks. Indian government has done a good job in propagating this message.
True testing in India the lowest per capita and hence critics say the true infected numbers are not showing up. If that be so we should see patients lining up hospitals with cough, flu or other symptoms. That is not happening. Assuming this theory is right we should see India’s, trajectory steepen in the coming days with increased testing. We need to wait and watch on this. My guess is it will be a steady growth to 10,000 rather than a steep jump.
Migrant labor issue is a big problem but to the credit of most Chief Ministers they have put in resources to manage the crisis well. The national capital witnessed migrant issue due to the cynical politics played by AAP, their intention of hurting UP CM Yogi Adityanath backfired since he proved to be a better administrator. He overnight cleared up all migrant labor and send them to safe houses.
The immediate concern is the Tablighi visitors who have spread across India and are causing havoc in the country. Identification, isolation and quarantining these Markaz participants and also the people they go in touch with is of utmost importance to control the pandemic in India.
The way Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Kerala,UP and Telangana which are top states in terms of number of cases handle the curtailment of the spread of virus will determine India’s success in tackling Corona. Mind you these are also the states which have many Markaz participants and these governments have launched a mammoth effort to round them up.

Leadership challenges at the time of Covid-19

The world is enveloped in COVID-19, some developed nations are at the risk of declaring themselves bankrupt. Italy, Iran and Spain for sure are in trouble with many other countries if action is not taken sooner and effectively. The deaths caused by the virus are unprecedented and unseen in recent human history. This is a terrible jolt to the humanity as a whole. The virus has spread to all countries except Antarctica.

Want the latest on any country check - https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/iran/

World leaders are responding to the Corona situation based on their own understanding of the virus and its potential impact on their economies and scalability of their health care systems. Most countries are sourcing a variety of health care aids, suits, masks, gloves, hydroxychloroquine etc to respond to this challenge. It is fair to say no country is up to face this challenge on its own.

Chinese leadership as expected kept the virus a secret till the issue went out of hand. They managed to get it under control through heavy measures against their citizens, they also kept key information away from the world. The Chinese wall against information sharing shifted the problem to the rest of the world. Their public servants kept giving incorrect numbers to their own government and to the world. Transparency and China do not go together. It is a repeat of their failure in handling SARS, Bird flu epidemics. Meanwhile they let many travelers in and out of Wuhan for weeks after the virus was detected. One estimate says 5 million people moved in and out of Wuhan before they locked it down. As of April 3rd we are hearing that there are 3 more deaths related to Corona in Wuhan. China is not yet out of woods and their leadership is in trouble. There are reports that some CPC members are unhappy with Xi Jinping and some letters are doing rounds asking to unseat him. One can say the Chinese have failed their people and the world in providing leadership in managing a critical health scare.

Italy has one of the worlds best health systems but Corona showed that health care infrastructure could not meet up the challenge. Italy is currently in a lock down and is expected to open up in April some time. The northern regions of the country Lombardy etc have been most affected by the outbreak. 85% of infected patients are in the region which is home to 92% of deaths so far. But the virus has been confirmed in all 20 regions of the country. Italy's leadership responded to the challenge very quickly by banning flights from China but experts say that the virus may already have spread within the country. it is said that Italy's testing has been meticulous. Some quotes on Italys situation -

" These measures may have been undermined however as Flavia Riccardo, a researcher in the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Italian National Institute of Health, told TIME that coronavirus could have been present in Italy before the first cases were diagnosed. Riccardo said: ‘The virus had probably been circulating for quite some time.".

"Some have argued that Italy’s high proportion of elderly residents has been a factor, with Professor Massimo Galli, the director of infectious diseases at Sacco hospital in Milan, quoted in The Guardian as saying: ‘Italy is a country of old people.". Italy seems to just have a lot of bad luck too.

Iranian leadership already struggling under US sanctions messed up handling the Corono out break. Iranian leadership took their own time to respond to the situation and yielded to its clerics by not locking down major religious sites which were at the epicenter of the virus. These blunders have made Iran a major exporter of the virus. Already on a weak wicket due to sanctions Iran is struggling to get out of this challenge. Instead of seeking help Iranian spiritual head Ali Khameni is busy throwing abuses at the US. Iranian leadership was indecisive at a crucial time and helped spread the contagion within the country.
Read this article on Iran -
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/03/03/iran-used-to-be-better-at-handling-epidemics-then-came-coronavirus-119651

India's response to the Covid-19 challenge has been quick and decisive. Though the peak is yet to be seen the measures taken by the government in declaring quarantine measures, People's curfew and a 3 week naionwide lock down seem to be working. The country's leadership deeply aware of the fragile healthcare infrastructure put emphasis on stopping the virus spreading through strict social distancing measures etc. A fine example of leadership under pressure the country's Prime Minister is rallying the population to come together to face the challenge. Though the economic impact of the lock down is devastating the more serious health care threat had to addressed first. Read this article on India's response -
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/interviews/indias-response-to-covid-19-has-been-pre-emptive-pro-active-roderico-ofrin-who/articleshow/74907802.cms


US is now the leader with the maximum number of infection cases. Its response led by President Trump is confusing. Trump hates markets going down, he measures his success with Dow and Nasdaq going up and up. He is finding it frustrating that he needs to take hard steps like lockdowns etc which will impact businesses. He continues to waver. Leadership is being provided by New York Gov Andrew Cuomo and California Gov Gavin Newsom. Both of them are taking the issue head on and steering their states towards safety. Meanwhile President Trump with his eyes on the November election perhaps for once and at a most important time of his presidency is indecisive.

The response of the Spanish leadership the Covid challenge is said to be cavalier. The leadership responded late and clumsily - read this - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/26/spain-coronavirus-response-analysis

China and its virus problem

The world is realizing now but an Indian looks anything related to China with skepticism. Some of this stems from the 1962 war, the Chinese occupation of Aksai chin and Chinese occupation of Shaksam valley( gifted by Pakistan). Most Indians hate that Tibet is occupied by China and Indian leadership at that time kept quiet when the Chinese occupied Tibet. Tibet was a buffer between India and China and with its occupation India lost a natural defense. Ask any Indian foreign services officer to know about the Chinese deceit.

A closed country with authoritarian rule China is still a hard nut to crack for the world. China's growth statistics, financial markets etc are opaque. Any sort of dissidence is punished severely. Many warriors of democracy are rotting in Chinese jails. Even President Trump with all his threats to China surrendered to it on the trade deal. Chinese grip on the US market is scary. Pretty much everything in US stores is Chinese made.
Listen to Senator Marc Rubio on the threat Chinese pose to US economy and innovation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiRAW66wdV0&t=1130s.

China under Xi Jinping is even bigger threat. Having appointed himself as President for life or some thing like that Xi is busy expanding Chinese influence across the world. Xi is positioning Chinas a superpower and is trying to take US and Russia head on.The easiest victims to fall under this baleful Chinese influence are the poorer nations, Srilanka, Pakistan and many sub Saharan African countries. Pakistan is in fact an extended province of China. Pakistan leadership surrendered to the Chinese completely.

Even though the country is authoritarian corruption in the government and private sector is deep. The 2008 Chinese milk scandal raised concerns about food safety and political corruption in China. The political appointees are known to exploit the poor and are extremely corrupt. The central party often cleans up the hierarchy of any dissidence and dare anyone talk about democracy.

Virus originating from China is not new, In 1997 there was bird flu H5N1 virus which made lot of Hongkong residents sick and many died. The origin is from mainland china. The Chinese govt denied about any spread from main land and obfuscated the truth.

In 2002 there was a global crisis about SARS which originated in China. " SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) originated in animals and made the leap from animal to human infection somewhere in the Guangdong province of China in late 2002. The condition was relatively contained for several months. During that time, the Chinese government failed to appropriately tackle the problem and the virus eventually spread elsewhere, leading to worldwide panic. By 2003, there were about 8,000 infected people worldwide and almost 800 SARS-related deaths [source: Medical News Today; NAID] - read the article here - https://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/infectious/sars-come-from.htm.

Currently we have the Corona virus spreading like wild fire across the globe. The origin Wuhan market china. The Chinese govt and WHO gave incorrect and incomplete information to the world about the nature and potential destructive nature of the virus. Today Corona is a global pandemic with deaths across the world. China is upset when people call it Chinese or Wuhan virus. Some countries are calling for war like reparations. Who will hold china culpable in this world wide human and economic destruction. It is time to stop the Chinese.

Read this on why Virus's keep originating from china - https://www.statnews.com/2020/01/27/bird-flu-sars-china-coronavirus-is-history-repeating-itself/

Views expressed above are personal

How to win during a down turn

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is throwing the global economy out of gear. It has already disrupted the global supply chains and it will take time for global trade to come back. For global economy to comeback first the contagion has to be stopped at the same time a medical cure has to be found. Remember this situation is a global health crisis and not financial crisis. However global markets respond to events which disrupt economic activities and hence we are seeing this world wide carnage on stock markets. On an average Indian markets are down by 30% in a month. Similar is the case with other global indices. The current event is shocking since the markets crashed steeply in a short time. Investor confidence will be at its lowest.

This global crisis will impact growth of global economy which will finally impact individuals directly. Jobs will be at stake.In general an economic recession is bad news for jobs. Typically plants are shut down and production slowed, demand for services will fall, companies will not invest in new products there will be wage cuts and all sorts of cuts. Coming from an IT services space i have seen the impact of economic disruptions in the years 2000, 2008 and potentially now in 2020.

While a recession is not yet announced top economists have declared that the world is in recession prior to Covid-19.

The question on top of every one's mind is how to save his/her job. The cut can be on anyone, economic distress does not choose people it will be arbitrary - high cost, low cost, poor performer, some times top performer,location based or any other parameter. Companies resort to layoffs or trimming staff due to - 1. reduced customer demand 2. customers cutting down on projects 3. customers postponing projects etc.

How does one get ready for a possible recession-

1. The good days are over be regular to work

2. Ensure you are in a relevant role - line function - you must be in a billable role

3. If you are not in a billable role get into one

4. Improve your productivity

5. Make your work visible to your managers and above

6. Don't panic learn new technologies - remember economy will bounce back and clients will invest in new tech always

7. Be proactive in taking up new responsibilities

8. Pay off your credit card bills and save cash

9. Cut down expenditure

10. Work with your bank on reducing EMIs in worst case

11. Be a good learner and respond to taking up different roles

12. Work with your clients and share ideas on improving efficiency of their business, understand their pain and share business solutions

The views expressed are personal.

CAA and the conspiracy to destabilize India

The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), 2019 has been passed by the Lok Sabha on 9 December 2019. The bill proposes to give Indian citizenship to illegal migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan from those belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities. The bill provides a path for providing Indian citizenship to these undocumented individuals who have been living in India for decades

At its core this bill is giving Indian citizenship to these 6 communities for having been persecuted in those countries due to the religion they practice. These communities since independence were “forced or compelled to seek shelter in India due to persecution on the ground of religion”. The bill also aims to protect such people from proceedings of illegal migration.

Cut-off date for Indian Citizenship

The act provides for providing Indian citizenship to all illegal immigrants belonging to the 6 communities who are in the country on or before December 31st, 2014.

The Act also reduced the time period of stay in India for these 6 communities from 12 years to 6 years to qualify for obtaining Indian citizenship.

Who are excluded

Even though there are sections within Muslim community ( Ahmedia’s, Shias) who are persecuted in these countries they have been excluded from the ambit of CAA, it is reasoned that they can choose from one of the many other Islamic nations to seek refuge. The government clearly says that all these communities can apply from Indian citizenship through regular route.

What about Northeast

CAA is not applicable to the areas notified under the sixth schedule of the constitution. These are the tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. The CAA bill will also not apply to states that have the inner-line permit system (Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram). CAA covers large parts of Assam. Assamese are protesting about impact to their cultural and linguistic heritage due to regularization of Bengali Hindus migrants from Bangladesh.

The opposition is protesting against bill since it believes that by excluding Muslims the bill is violating article 14 of the constitution ( right to equality of all persons) and that the bill gives preferential treatment to other groups. The opposition and the left cannot accept that Hindus can be a persecuted minority, their definition of minority ends with Muslims.

Obviously, there were organized protests across non-BJP states and attempt made to mount pressure on the government to withdraw the bill. Infact CAA was used by the opposition, left intellectuals and some media houses to tarnish India in the global stage. NYT, Washington Post and other media houses carried out articles penned by Indian authors. Democrat Congress woman Pramila Jaypal is leading the anti India brigade and is moving motions with respect to detentions in JK and giving statements on CAA. Overall a concerted effort is on to pull down India and make life difficult for PM Modi.


JNU, Marxists and agitations -

JNU was established in 1969 by an act of the parliament. Over the years JNU has turned more into a political and ideological theatre than an academic institute of excellence. Today JNU is in the grip of unruly extreme left Marxist crowd. Their only job is to live off on public money and agitate on everything the government proposes. JNU historically is in the grip of left of center student unions but center right student bodies are posing a challenge to this hegemony and hence we see lot of friction on the campus.

Since the elevation of Modi as the prime minister in 2014 JNU has become hyper active. In 2015 they agitated against so called saffronization of education when attempt was made to include Indian culture in curriculum. In 2016 Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid were booked under sedition charges when they organized an event against hangings of Maqbool Bhat and Afzal Guru. The Delhi government after much dilly dallying recently gave permission to try them under sedition act.

Early this year JNU students agitated against fee hike in the University ( The university fee for hostel, tuition are abysmally low) . One more Jihadi leader from JNU Sharjeel Imam was recently booked under sedition act for inflammatory speeches in Shaheen bhag, he is one of the initial organizers of the Shaheen bhag blockade. JNU has become a hub for anti-national activities and is used by the Congress and Left parties to challenge the government.


The Shaeen bagh conspiracy –

This is a big one and a detailed investigation on the movers and shakers will reveal the real motive and drive behind this drama.

Shaheen bhag has turned into a major hub of anti- CAA agitations. It was occupied predominantly by Muslim women for over 2 months.

On December 14, people started gathering at Shaheen Bagh near Jamia Millia Islamia to oppose CAA and NRC. The protestors included women and children. This protest was completely taken over by left related bodies, Islamists, intellectuals and students. These protestors put barricades and other obstacles causing road blockages and traffic congestions.

Shaheen bhag was a god give gift to the left intellectuals. They fully used the occasion to spread their hatred towards an elected Prime Minister. The protestors had regular visitors from left intelligentsia who delivered divisive speeches and roused passions. The women claim they were there to defend the constitution and right to equality. They were blissfully unaware that the CAA/NRC against which they are protesting is not applicable to them. They were fed by community kitchens organized by various Left groups. Slogans, songs, shouts of democracy and anti-India slogans filled their days and nights. For Intellectuals like Ramachandra Guha, Javed Akhtar and others Shaheen bhag was a great opportunity to further their agenda of lies and polarize the society.

Infact one of the intellectual Arundhathi Roy declared that Muslim community members should lie about their names and addresses when they are asked by the officials. “Kaagaz nahi Dikhayenge” was the slogan. All these protestors gleefully showed their Kaagaz and voted enmasse apparently for the AAP in the recently held Delhi elections. .

The media ( NDTV type partisans kept harping that the protests were spontaneous and the there is not political affiliation. Karan Thapar said that protesters are trying to save the idea of India. He however did not answer why there were flags of DMK, Muslim League, Bhim Army flags seen in the protests? Who was sponsoring the protests, who was providing the food , transport and who spent money on the PR ?

While the protests were supposed to be to exercise democratic rights to reject CAA, the widespread arson and loss of public property in West Bengal, Assam and other states indicates the mind set of the protestors. Their minds polluted by the information fed by left intelligentsia and actions like throwing stones, burning buses etc indicate a complete melt down of the moral high ground they have taken. The UP chief ministers stand of recovering money from the protestors who indulged in arson is laudable. He is really taking the fight back to the arsonists.

The shaheen bagh gathering also had a victim in the death of a 4 month old infant. The mother Nazia who used to the bring the infant to the protests claimed the infant died due to catching cold. The father Arif blamed the government for his child’s death. Photos of the dead infant were used by the protestors to exploit public emotions. This is the lowest point in the protests. Infact the SC asked “Had four-month-old child gone to Shaheen Bagh to protest “.

Shaheen bagh also witnessed events like “ Artists against communalism” and more such drama. All such paragons of democracy strongly objected to progressive bills like triple talaq, abrogation of article 370 etc. They ended up further strengthening the Islamic identity of the protestors not democracy.

Meanwhile the ED has unearthed links between PFI and Shaheen bagh protests. As much as 120 crores has been deposited in cash in about 73 accounts of” PFI. The ED has questioned PFI Delhi head Mohammed Parvez Ahmed and is trying to establish links between PFI, Aaa Admi Party and other antI-CAA organizations.

In a sting operation conducted by Republic TV Republic TV, Sharjeel Imam one of the initial promoters of the Shaheen bagh protests by his own admission accepted that the protests and road-blocking incidents were all conducted to attract attention from 'western media'.

The CAA has shaken the intellectuals so much that one ‘eminent historian’ Irfan Habib heckled and disrupted the speech of Gov on Kerala – Arif Mohammad Khan when he was answering questions in the Indian History congress event in Kerala.

Meanwhile the world is stuck with Covid-19 and our protestors in Shaheen bagh are not getting the media attention and visitors and they are now deciding their next steps. I am sure good sense will prevail and they will all go home safe.