In the News: "Covid-19 and politics in India"
Audio 04:58
An administrative officer, in protective gear, observes the counting of the votes for the Assam State Assembly election in Gauhati, India, Sunday, May 2, 2021. AP - Anupam Nath
By: Sébastien Duhamel
11 mins
Publicity
While the health crisis still rages in India, the press looks back on the outcome of highly observed regional elections, starting with the Indian press itself, of course. Supporting maps and graphics,
The Hindustan Times
dissects the figures. Those of the state of West Bengal in the lead, where the BJP - the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi - failed to win. Failure also, we read, in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The BJP, however, retains power in the state of Assam.
Elections also followed internationally and, for commentators, there is no doubt that the Indian Prime Minister is paying for his mismanagement of the pandemic. “
The Covid is shaking up politics in India,
”
The Boston Globe
tells us
.
The Financial Times
tells us about a "
major political setback
",
and a "
sanction
". It is "
a slap in the face
", even tells us in his columns a political scientist from Ashoka University. Here he sees "
the message, that the Modi brand alone is probably fading
". As proof, his "
aggressive electoral campaign is rightly accused of having contributed to fueling the second wave of Covid
», Underlines the
Financial Times
.
A fierce second wave
Nearly 400,000 additional cases, a new record of deaths in 24 hours and, on the spot, we still lack everything: oxygen, equipment… Situation again on the front page of the
New York Times.
From New Delhi to Bangalore, via Bombay,
the American newspaper delivers a report on those who "
fill the gaps of a desperate India
".
Social networks, on which real mutual aid communities have mobilized.
Everything often starts with a call for help, launched online "
and these calls,
says the
New York Times, reach engineers, lawyers, NGO workers, politicians, doctors and even tuk-tuk drivers, who have mobilized online to help the sick, sometimes hundreds of miles from home. them
.
Collectively
, we read,
they have formed grassroots networks that intervene where national and state governments have failed
”.
The heavy toll of journalists
And in the face of this crisis, everyone is ultimately paying a heavy price. The heaviest of all is of course paid by the nursing staff, the
Guardian
points out today, but the British newspaper also pays tribute to the journalists,
with the testimony of its own correspondent on the spot.
This crisis “
is without a doubt the most difficult story I have ever had to cover,
” says Hannah Ellis Petersen. She describes the horror of makeshift crematoriums on the street: “
People here compare it to a war zone, yes it feels like India is under attack, but when the enemy is invisible and the battlefields are hospitals, the fear is greater, more disturbing,
”she explains.The
Guardian
tells us that hundreds of Indian journalists have died since the start of the health crisis, "
nearly 50 in the last few weeks alone
".
And among them there is Kakoli Bhattacharya.
Her name probably doesn't mean anything to us, she had worked for the
Guardian
in New Delhi since 2009. Without her, "
Indian coverage of the Guardian will not be the same
", laments the newspaper.
Australia's much-criticized response
To limit the arrival of the variant, many countries have imposed travel restrictions to and from India. In Australia, "
the travel ban begins today
" and it creates controversy because "
prison sentences and fines are provided for offenders,
"
reports the ABC site.
Up to five years in prison or heavy fines, "this
is the first time that Australia has implemented criminal penalties for its own citizens returning home
," the article points out. Problem: these sanctions "
introduced by the law on biosafety could well be illegal
", Estimate experts quoted by ABC. In any case, yes, these measures of the Australian government are perceived by some as "
racist violations of human rights
".
It is the BBC which reports it.
Still others, like
The Australian
,
are more concerned about the economic consequences of this “travel ban”.
"
India could indeed"
rethink "
its vital relationship with Australia
, analyzes the newspaper,
at a time when Australian industries were encouraged to strengthen their ties with New Delhi, after major trade tensions with China
.
There is the education sector as well, what about the students, asks
The Australian
.
India is the second favorite destination for Australian students, behind China.
One sport, two atmospheres ...
We are obviously talking about football. First of all in Italy - how can we not see it - the joy of Inter players and supporters. We see it on the front pages of all Italian newspapers,
Corriere della Sera, Il Messaggero, La Repubblica
and
La Gazzetta dello Sport.
All show the jubilation of the supporters gathered by the thousands in Milan to celebrate the victory of their club yesterday Sunday in the championship. Nineteenth Serie A coronation for Inter Milan, and the contrast is striking with the anger of Manchester United supporters, which is, for its part, the front page of all the British media. Supporters invaded the lawn at Old Trafford stadium on Sunday, forcing the Premier League to postpone the game against Liverpool. This "
fury
", as a title
The Wall Street Journal
in the United States is directed against the Glazer family, who have owned the club since 2005. The American family also owns an American football franchise which supporters are unhappy with the management.
We understand that it is mainly a story of money against a story of passion.
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