Maybe the dead will, even if the living can't.

 "Despite public health being a state subject, the central government has been proactive in Covid management as a pandemic requires national-level coordination and substantial resources," wrote minister with many portfolios Prakash Javadekar, The Indian Express (TIE). On 17 March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told state chief ministers, "This time cases are rising in many areas and districts which were unaffected so far." "In the last few weeks, this increase is more than 150 percent in 70 districts of the country. If we don't stop the pandemic in its tracks, the situation can lead to a country-wide outbreak." "India, in the last 24 hours, recorded 3,66,161 fresh Covid-19 cases an 3,754 elated deaths. This is for the first time after four straight days that India's Covid-19 count has risen by less than 4,00,000 fresh infections," TIE. If Modi knew all this why did he hold a rally in West Bengal in April? "I have come here twice during Lok Sabha elections," Modi told the rally. "The first time I came for myself. But the crowd was only a quarter of this size..." "but today, in all directions I see huge crowds of people..." NDTV. "Uttar Pradesh (UP), India's most populous state, is among the worst affected in the country and its people are suffering even as authorities insist the situation is under control," BBC.  Modi's party the BJP has absolute majority in UP assembly with three-quarter of all seats, India Today. "UP is witnessing some of the most brutal effects: No oxygen, no ventilators, no hospital beds, overcrowded crematoriums and cemeteries, and black marketeers," wrote Profs Mahmudabad and Verniers. "Beyond denialism, the then Covid-positive chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, announced that citizens reporting shortages would be detained under the National Security Act for 'spreading rumours' and 'spoiling the atmosphere' and that their property would be seized. Nowhere else in the world has anti-terrorist legislation been invoked to threaten citizens voicing their needs during a pandemic, adding fear to their despair," TIE. Then there was the Kumbh Mela held in Haridwar in Uttarakhand from the middle of March to the end of April. BJP won over three-quarter seats in Uttarakhand Assembly in 2017," Hindustan Times (HT). "Uttarakhand recorded an 1800% increase in COVID-19 cases between 31 March and 24 April, when the Haridwar Mahakumbh was held," The Quint.  "Bollywood composer Shravan Rathod died in a Mumbai hospital soon after his return from Kumbh. Nine Hindu seers from one group also perished," BBC. "In an influential paper published over a decade ago, the economist Lance Pritchett described India as a 'flailing state," wrote Yamini Aiyar, but "In the short decade between when Pritchett first posited the idea of the flailing State and today India has transited to a failed state," HT. The Indian government placed orders for vaccines in January 2021, but the British and US governments placed orders in May 2020. "By September 2020, Japan, the EU, Australia, Canada, Germany and Brazil had all placed significant orders. Now here's the most important part -- all these countries placed orders for a vaccine that didn't exist back then," wrote Nitin Pai. "Fortunately, with pure dumb luck, Serum Institute of India (SII), a private entity, partnered Oxford-AstraZeneca to manufacture a billion doses for them. A portion (10%) of that was for India. This wasn't India's vaccine plan. It was SII's modest bet on its own, and clearly not enough for the nation," wrote Chetan Bhagat. "And even in this, we pressured SII to lower prices (because, oh my god, profit!) and made the owner fly to London for his safety." In Modi's home state of Gujarat, "Even in the times of pandemic, the state government cut capital expenditure on health infrastructure -- as opposed to the budget estimate of Rs 914 crore (Rs 9.14 billion), it spent onlyRs 737 crore in 2020-21," wrote Prof Jaffrelot and Laliwala. A poorer state like Bihar spent Rs 2,437 crore, TIE. No wonder Gujarat is not counting its dead, The Caravan. We are helpless. Maybe the dead will ask Modi.