He may not care now, but the economy will get him.

"For the first time since the Modi government came to power in 2014, senior Union ministers and top functionaries in the BJP and the RSS are on the defensive and unsure of how -- or even what -- to communicate to the people as the second Covid curve rages across the country," The Indian Express (TIE). However, they insist that the surge in new infections was sudden and blame the people for not taking precautions. In October 2020, "the Union home ministry moved closer to unlocking almost all activities by allowing a graded restart of schools, partial opening of movie theatres, and large gatherings including political and religious events" Hindustan Times (HT). Why blame the people when the Prime Minister and his party the BJP were holding massive political rallies in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and UP despite soaring number of new infections? CNN. "A forum of advisers set up by the government warned Indian officials in early March of a new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus taking hold in the country, five scientists who are part of the forum told Reuters." If ministers did not know shouldn't they resign? "While hospitals plead for life-saving oxygen and Covid-19 patients die in their thousands, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is pushing ahead with a $1.8 billion parliamentary revamp -- including a new home for the country's leader," CNN. "The pricey renovation, known as the Central Vista Redevelopment Project, has been categorized as an 'essential service' meaning construction is allowed to continue even when most other building projects have been halted." "It will include futuristic offices for its political secretariats, and underground railway, and an opulent mansion for the 70-year old premier, which was quietly slipped into the plans after they had been approved," Daily Mail. "A hard hitting editorial published in medical journal The Lancet has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government seemed more intent in removing criticism on Twitter than trying to control the covid pandemic," TIE. "The editorial quoting The Institute for Metrics and Evaluation estimates that India will see a staggering 1 million deaths from COVID-19 August 1." "Modi leads India out of a lockdown into a Covid apocalypse," declared a recent headline in the UK Sunday Times, BBC. The Australian newspaper re-published the story with a scathing summary: "Arrogance, hyper-nationalism and bureaucratic incompetence have combined to create a crisis of epic proportions, critics say, as India's crowd-loving PM basks while citizens literally suffocate."  The Indian High Commission accused the newspaper of "motivated and malicious reports" which help in "spreading falsehoods" and urged the paper to "refrain" from publishing "such baseless" articles, The Print. Needless to say most Indians reacted with fury at such cringe-making sycophancy. "India has fully vaccinated less than 2% of its 1.3 billion strong population, inoculation centers across the country say they're running short of doses and exports have all but stopped," Bloomberg. In an effort to deny responsibility, Modi has shifted the burden on to states and opened vaccination to everyone over the age of 18 years, creating large crowds at vaccination centers, with further dangers of infection. "Consider the three big events causing mass suffering in increasing measure since the Modi regime came to power," wrote Prof Ashutosh Varshney. First was demonetisation in 2016, the second was the almost total lockdown with 4 hours notice in 2020 and now the mass suffering. "The prime minister neither expresses adequate remorse, nor sufficient compassion." Like Mao Ze Dong. Despite a drubbing in West Bengal assembly election and the huge number of deaths, "Unfortunately, the strongman model of political leadership is often unwilling to accept blunders and take responsibility," wrote Rajdeep Sardesai. Instead Modi will claim credit as cases inevitably decline. He knows that 2024 is still 3 years away and he can buy votes with handouts. That will depend on the economy. Falling growth with high inflation will tie his hands. Worse times loom.