News Agency
\nMUMBAI\/NEW DELHI
\nRavi Prasad Gupta, a worker at a pipe plant in the western Indian state of Gujarat, for years proudly supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his promise to usher in \u201cgood days\u201d for millions of impoverished laborers.
\nBut Modi on March 24 announced a three-week lockdown to fight the coronavirus, which meant Gupta lost his job and so decided to head home, first by train and then on foot.
\n\u201cI voted for Modi in all the elections but now I\u2019m very sure that he works only for the big people and not for a man like me,\u201d Gupta told Reuters in the northern town of Lucknow where he was getting on a truck for the next leg of his journey home.
\nThe shutdown has dealt a body blow to India\u2019s neediest, many of whom have long backed Modi, the 69-year old son of a tea seller whose Hindu nationalist administration was first elected in 2014.
\nThousands of desperate day laborers like Gupta have walked hundreds of miles home \u2014 and more than 20 have reportedly died on the way. In slums, anxious families are low on food, while homeless shelters are overflowing.
\nModi says the lockdown is necessary to avert a humanitarian calamity in India, where health care has long been weak and millions live in crowded, unsanitary conditions.
\nThe country has reported more than 2,000 coronavirus cases and 56 deaths but many health experts are bracing for a surge of infections despite the government\u2019s efforts.
\n\u2018Know yourself\u2019
\nDuring a radio address on Sunday, Modi encouraged Indians cooped up at home to reach out to childhood friends on social media, dust off old musical instruments and introspect.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t go out but go inside,\u201d said Modi. \u201cTry to know yourself.\u201d
\nHe has also shared some cartoon videos called \u201cYoga with Modi\u201d for keeping fit, and encouraged people to watch them on a special Modi app.
\nHe has also created a relief fund \u2014 PM-CARES \u2014 sidelining a decades-old traditional prime ministerial aid fund.
\n\u201cWhy the self-aggrandizing name, PM-CARES? Must a colossal national tragedy also be (mis)used to enhance the cult of personality?\u201d historian Ramachandra Guha, a Modi critic, said on Twitter.
\nThe Prime Minister\u2019s Office did not respond to requests for comment.
\nShaina NC, an official with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, said criticism of the lockdown was unwarranted and authorities were providing food and shelter to those in need.
\n\u201cThere is bound to be a little hardship when a decision such as this is taken,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cPrime Minister Modi is popular and continues to be so, but I don\u2019t think he is looking for a certificate of popularity at this juncture.\u201d
\nSome state governments blame Modi\u2019s top-down management style for what they see as the chaotic implementation of the shutdown, which has complicated operations for e-commerce, medical device makers and farmers.
\n\u201cDid the prime minister talk to any of the state governments before unilaterally announcing it? No,\u201d said Bhupesh Baghel, the chief minister of opposition-ruled Chhattisgarh state. If given proper notice, he said, Chhattisgarh could have stocked up on essentials and coordinated with neighboring states.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
News Agency MUMBAI\/NEW DELHI Ravi Prasad Gupta, a worker at a pipe plant in the western Indian state of Gujarat, for years proudly supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his promise to usher in \u201cgood days\u201d for millions of impoverished laborers. But Modi on March 24 announced a three-week lockdown to fight the coronavirus, which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-115616","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n