Can you have a Hindu Rashtra without Hindus?

"Breaking all records, India has recorded a massive surge of 169,899 Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours," reported Business Standard. "With this India has once again taken its spot as the second-worst hit nation with 13,525,364 cases in total." "The death toll from the deadly infection stands at 170,209." The Central government has sent teams to Maharashtra, Punjab and Chhattisgarh as these are recording the highest numbers of cases, with shortages of oxygen, healthcare workers and testing kits. The Maharashtra government is considering a total lockdown with shortage of oxygen, lack of manpower and malfunctioning ventilators. While ruling out a total lockdown, "The Delhi government has prohibited all types of gatherings, reduced the size of weddings and funerals, and halved the capacity of public transport as part of restrictions to control the spread of Covid-19." Hundreds of doctors have died, but as usual the government has 'downplayed' the numbers. Worse than the dangers of death and incapacity, doctors are regularly facing abuse, humiliation and physical assaults. "Aided by new variants, Covid-19 is spreading rapidly," wrote Yamini Aiyar. "Yet, consensus has been forged among all arms of the State to resort to familiar toolkits -- coercive policies through confounding orders (from last minute lockdowns to making masks compulsory while alone in a vehicle); opacity (critical data -- vaccines and reinfection, vaccines and side effects, disease severity, lockdown and transmission dynamics -- are missing from the public domain) and blaming citizens for abandoning Covid-19 caution even as the political leadership has willingly thrown caution to the winds in pursuit of political power." The government and its officials are being economical with facts, wrote Karan Thapar. "Shahid Jameel, one of our top virologists, says one of the mutations, L452R, is similar to what was earlier found among minks in Denmark and, thereafter, in the human population in California. It is more infectious. The other, E484Q, has similarities to mutations found in South Africa and Brazil and is more resistant to the AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield in India)." The double mutant strain is ravaging Maharashtra while a third strain, the UK mutant, is responsible for 81% of samples in Punjab. Head of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr Bhargava "insists the mutant strains aren't driving the second surge". Meanwhile, "A political between the Union and some states over an alleged shortage of vaccines is threatening to cast a shadow over India's battle against Covid-19," reported the Mint. "With India in the throes of a second wave, one that threatens to suffocate lives and livelihoods again, it is hard not to recoil in revulsion from the war of words that has broken out in the arena of politics over our vaccination programme," wrote an editorial in the Mint. Why? Because, Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are in the midst of elections to their assemblies and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to win West Bengal at any cost. "Such is the obsessive desire of the Bharatiya Janata Party (Modi's party) to win Bengal that the central government is playing second fiddle to the party's ambition; it's almost as if governance and crucial policy decisions can wait till Kolkata is conquered," wrote Rajdeep Sardesai. Asked why he is not wearing a mask, one politician said, "Please, understand, people have gathered here to see me not you. How can they see me properly if I wear a mask." At the same time, millions of Hindus have gathered in Haridwar to celebrate the Kumbh Mela. The BJP may want a Hindu Rahstra, but it is trying its best to wipe out Hindus using the Chinese virus. With friends like these what chance do we Hindus have? The end could well be nigh.