REPORT BY VIJAYASREE
Kannan
Gopinathan, ex- IAS officer who was last posted in Daman, Diu and Dadra and
Nagar Haveli, was live with us on Saturday, 9th May 2020.
He
began by expressing his views on the planning with respect to the COVID-19 by
the Government of India. He expressed that people, as well as the government is
using varied as well as irrelevant lenses to look at the Pandemic. He opined
that the Pandemic was approached from a psychological view point in the
beginning, which was a valid gesture on part of the government to keep the
moral of the people uplifted. But there were several issues which were left
out, like the condition of Migrant Workers and Construction or Agricultural
workers. They were stopped from going to their homes due to their potential of
spreading the virus, even though they have the Fundamental Right to go to their
loved ones. According to Mr. Gopinathan, the harsh reality today is that not
just outside our country, but even inside our country, many have been treated
as secondary citizens. But all must be looked after. Moreover, he added that
more than combating the pandemic, maintaining the image of the government was
more of a priority for the government than dealing with the problem, “a war to
be won at any cost”.
On
being asked as to what his views were on the way the workers were treated, he
strongly opined that migrants were at the losing end on in every sphere. If
they stay back, they wouldn’t have the resources to survive in such a
condition, and if they return to their homes, they would face the social stigma
of the society.
He
further expressed his views on the Aarogya Setu App and the way it is coming
into use. Mr. Kannan Gopinathan said that the App is a contact tracing app to
help people. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram also have a similar
function, with people having the free right to leave it whenever they wish to.
He made an important point by mentioning that in India, not many own
smartphones. But there has been an ‘assumption’ that in this day and age,
almost all people own smartphones. Such assumptions take us far away from
reality. Thus not all may have access to the app. But while looking at
this idea, he said that we need to also bear in mind that the government is the
only legitimate authority to have access to our information to protect our
rights. But the freedom to use something is left to the individual. Thus, it
becomes important to focus on the messaging factor.
On
being asked his idea about the way Migrants and Students were being
‘criminalised’, he said that Social Taboos and Ostracisation has happened in
the past as well, such as in the case of Leprosy, but at the same time got
normalised with chicken Pox. Thus, whether to deal with COVID-19 the way we
dealt with Leprosy or Chicken Pox completely depends on us. He further claimed
that, so far we have been unable to initiate a voluntary force to get
information with respect to contact tracing, which is important in such
times.
He
also felt that the government’s goals with respect to dealing with COVID-19
during the lockdown is unclear and was unsure as to whether the government has
fulfilled the goals it had set for the lockdown or not. He further claimed that
with respect to the PM Cares Funds, a proper account needs to be given by the
government to the people because everybody has the right to know where the
donated money is being utilized. Mr. Gopinathan felt that the government
policies are failing over the past many year, and it is important to understand
why. He expressed his anguish over the way the government dealt with the death
of the migrant workers on the tracks.
On
being asked for his opinion on whether the state governments should be given more
liberty, he said, that India is like the entirely diverse European Union and
not just one European state. A similar policy throughout a diverse country like
India, with different geographical conditions, different living patterns and
also varying peaks in cases across states seems like putting all eggs in one
basket. Thus the response needs to be different for different states. Further
he said that the government has taken contradictory policies to deal with the
pandemic. Moreover he added that the resilience capacity of the society is also
reducing due to several factors.
On
being asked about the recent UAPA Act being imposed on many Activists and
whether the government was busy fighting against Activists than against
COVID-19, he, on a lighter note, declared about the 2 FIRs against him. Mr.
Gopinathan said that his resignation followed by the government’s order to ask
him to join back, was an act of harassment. He also opined that the UAPA Act is
generally imposed against terrorists, and shouldn’t be applied on our own
citizens. He said that, that there is a dire need to show solidarity against
the character assassination and the personal attacks made by the
government. He further urged all the people to make sure that hatred is
not instilled towards one another during such a tough time and there is a sense
of brotherhood.
On
being asked whether he could have fought the battle better being inside the
system, he said that he had his share of fighting things by being inside the
system, but there were many limitations of being inside the system as well,
because not everything could be expressed. And thus, he felt that, Patriotism
for him was raising his voice for the right thing, even if it takes getting out
of the system. Questioning the government on reasonable grounds is a must and
that is what shows the love of people towards their nation.
He
finally with conviction expressed that there needs to be an open conversation
and space for co-existence between people with different thoughts and ideas
that disagree with one another. He very keenly felt that conversation is the
only means to let one and all know that we ultimately share a common future. He
further added that NRIs and the local Indians need to understand that
ultimately we all are from the same soil and it is not a war against one
another.
His
conscience to do the right thing and his conviction to do his duty as the
citizen of this country has definitely inspired several people and will further
inspire many.
Editor’s Note: If you also have something to write about or speak about, do it now. We encourage our audience to be the ‘voice of change’.
Write to us and send recordings at- democraticcharkha@gmail.com
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