The opposition should exhibit the maturity to help and support the government and the people of Kerala to overcome this grave situation.
The Sprinkler incident was a lucky draw win for the opposition when they were nearly out of business. During the corona period nobody was lending ears for the clamors of the opposition party and its offshoots. Also, the trolls of the various opposition leaders had adorned the social media pages for their daft remarks, which were desperate attempts to overcome the eclipsing popularity of the ruling party ministers. The evening press conference of the Chief Minister was competing with the TRP ratings of the most popular tv programs in Kerala (9.05, according to TNM). The encomiums bestowed on the Communist government from all over the globe, including the Washington Post and the right slanted Republic TV would have obviously amplified the annoyance of the opposition.
Notably, the controversy related to the Sprinkler firm and the data protection concerns definitely holds water. The party which locked horns with the Central government and preached about the sanctity of data has made a somersault under their own governance. The strategic silence on this policy by the Chief Minister who routinely and religiously conducts press conferences, till the opposition raises an alarm, requires a proper explanation.
However, the opposition leaders seemed to forget the gravity of the situation that the world is involved in. This is not the time to make a rapacious attempt to attract the limelight and to perform the only holy duty of the opposition parties in India, tarnishing the reputation of the ruling party. The government and the whole state is tirelessly fighting the pandemic and putting all their hands on the deck to bring back the normalcy. The opposition should exhibit the maturity to help and support the government and the people of Kerala to overcome this grave situation. Dwindling trust in the government and hesitation for people to provide data and information to the authorities would lead to an ineludible disaster. The concerns about the controversy could be raised and the explanations be demanded in the first sitting of the next legislative assembly. The chiding, questions and the explanations can wait but not the virus and the death. Opposition is trying to strike the rod when it is hot, but it should keep its instincts at bay. Now it is definitely not the time.
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