Modi detractors presume that the Government has been cornered by the second wave of the COVID crisis. There is a sadistic pleasure at the plight of people. The human tragedy, a huge number of deaths and fresh challenges to the national economy do not bother them.
They are more inclined to see the Prime Minister in the dock. Hence, there is an attempt to discredit the entire ‘Vaccine Maitri’ (or Vaccine Diplomacy). The power of ‘anti-Modi’ rhetoric as the garb of objectivity is so intense that it is difficult to express an opinion and that would still be considered an objective one. If one writes with a few laudatory words and phrases for the Modi Government and shares an element of understanding, he or she is in the danger of being called a communal or bought over by Narendra Modi’s charm.
The critics of Vaccine Maitri have called it ‘hollow’ — being without worth. They also say the operation was ‘something that was not planned. Arguments have been built up by ‘experts’ – who thrive in Modi bashing – that includes the political class and also others – that while Bangladesh is today paying a price as India has stopped export of vaccines for a while due to higher demands domestically.
The fact of the matter is internationally, India’s prestige has gone up. The Vaccine Maitri was a golden chapter in ‘global leadership’ for the Modi regime when countries such as Canada, the US and Britain got busy in buying vaccines. The big picture message is – the international game can be no longer about pushing a single-agenda item or being aggressive. The ‘Soft power’ game means persuasive diplomacy. It may be out of the box, but not something out of the blue.
But critics of Modi say that even a small country like Taiwan has ‘managed’ the crisis certainly with more ‘efficiency’. After the centre gave clearance to put on fast-track the process of emergency approvals of Covid-19 vaccines that have been granted emergency use authorisation (EUA) in foreign countries, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed ‘credit’.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you; then they fight you, then you win,” he tweeted on April 14. Only a few days back, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar had criticised him saying, “Rahul Gandhi must know that shortage in Congress ruled states is not of vaccines but of basic commitment towards health care”. Around the same time, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said: “As a foreign minister, I am pushing other countries, particularly some big countries, saying — look, please keep the raw materials flowing for vaccines to be made in India”.
In reference to those questioning the government decision to ‘export’ vaccines, he has said rather acidly: “……somebody will ask – why am I exporting to India. That is so short-sighted. Only non-serious, irresponsible people can make that argument”.n fact, even prior to vaccine diplomacy, the Modi government has been pursuing a policy that sought to make India “the pharmacy of the world during the Covid-19 pandemic”. In July 2020, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Secretary-General Vladimir Norov lauded India’s move to share deep knowledge in medicine and take the initiatives to provide medicines to 133 countries in the fight against the pandemic.
The WHO and other stakeholders also recorded their appreciation. There were also some benefits coming in. India’s pharmaceutical sector has ensured that some foreign countries come forward to intensify their bilateral cooperation with New Delhi.
