oppn parties Some Farmers' Leaders Say Not Afraid Of Coronavirus, Will Not Get Vaccinated

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  • Supreme Court questions the continuing relevance of two-child norms. The Court observed that falling fertility rates have weakened the population-control rationale behind laws disqualifying people with more than two children from contesting local body elections. It referred the issue to a larger Bench for consideration
  • Supreme Court declines to shift Tirupati laddu case outside Andhra Pradesh. The Court rejected a plea seeking transfer of the trial, despite arguments that political statements by Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister could affect the fairness of proceedings
  • Supreme Court transfers Azam Khan's fresh ED bail plea to Allahabad High Court. The apex court declined to consider the Samajwadi Party leader's bail request in a fresh Enforcement Directorate case and directed that it be listed before a division Bench of the High Court on November 16
  • Two killed in Delhi building collapse; contractor booked. Two bodies were recovered after a building collapsed in Chawri Bazaar. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the contractor had been booked and the concerned junior and assistant engineers suspended
  • Uttar Pradesh voter rolls show a 2.4-crore discrepancy. A difference of approximately 2.4 crore names has been reported between the state's panchayat and rural Assembly voter lists. The Election Commission has ordered the two sets of rolls to be matched
  • Gujarat announces 3% dearness allowance hike. The state government announced a three-percentage-point increase in dearness allowance for government employees and pensioners ahead of Diwali
  • Sensex and Nifty post their strongest single-day gains in months. The Sensex surged 2,008.61 points, or 2.60%, to close at 79,310.01, while the Nifty 50 climbed 576 points, or 2.40%, to 24,536.60. Financial and automobile stocks led the rally, supported by falling crude prices and renewed foreign investor buying
  • Maaya Rajeshwaran reaches WTA-level quarter-final. The 17-year-old Indian defeated Poland's Weronika Falkowska 6-4, 6-3, becoming the first Indian woman since Sania Mirza in 2012 to reach a quarter-final at a WTA Tour-level singles event
  • Tanvi Patri reaches Youth Olympics badminton final. The 15-year-old defeated Japan's Yuzuno Watanabe in the semi-final, assuring India of a medal and becoming the first Indian badminton player to reach the girls' singles final at the Youth Olympics
  • India beat Pakistan 3-2 in SAFF Championship. India defeated Pakistan in a closely contested match, having led 3-0 before conceding two late goals. The victory was reported as a significant result for India's second-string side
  • India beat Japan 4-1 to win a record sixth Asian Champions Trophy. India recovered from an early deficit to defeat Japan in the final at Mohali, extending its record as the tournament's most successful men's team
  • The Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre and the Election Commission on a petition challenging Section 16 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, which grants the CEC and Election Commissioners protection from legal proceedings for acts performed in their official duties. The petition argues that such blanket immunity could leave citizens without an effective remedy for alleged wrongdoing by the Commission
  • The Supreme Court told voters whose names were deleted from Delhi's draft electoral rolls not to be apprehensive about seeking re-enrolment through Form 6, after the Election Commission assured it that such applicants would not be prosecuted merely because their names had appeared in earlier rolls
  • Congress leader Rahul Gandhi opened the party's campaign for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections with an Insaaf rally in Sangrur, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's home district, accusing the AAP government of failing to control drugs, gangster violence and corruption. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge outlined six commitments, including a drug-free Punjab, protection of farmers, employment for young people and action against corruption
  • Rahul Gandhi accused the AAP government of running Punjab through a remote control from Delhi and questioned Bhagwant Mann's ability to tackle drug abuse, making personal allegations about the Chief Minister's conduct during their time together in Parliament
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Some Farmers' Leaders Say Not Afraid Of Coronavirus, Will Not Get Vaccinated

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2021-03-02 07:23:19

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

There is a very thin line between stupidity and foolhardiness. But when either of the two traits is displayed by anyone in case of a health emergency, it becomes dangerous. And if the matter is as serious as the pandemic, it becomes criminally dangerous. It has been reported that some eligible (those in the 60+ age bracket or those above 45 with comorbidities) farmers' leaders have said they are not afraid of the coronavirus and will not take the vaccine. If true, this is a highly irresponsible statement and shows how they are bringing other factors into play in their fight against the government over the new farm laws. These leaders should realize that by taking such a stand on vaccination, they are showing the wrong way to their followers who might also decline to get jabbed.

Getting vaccinated is not a government thing. It is not also about fear of the coronavirus. Vaccine is being administered to citizens in a bid to stop the spread of the deadly virus. It is to protect the people of our country from being infected by the virus that the government has embarked upon the drive to inoculate at least 40 percent of the population within 6 to 9 months. Those who are eligible should come forward to get jabbed and help the entire humanity in fighting the virus. By displaying this incomprehensible attitude, the farmers' leaders are doing a great disservice not only to the nation but to the entire humankind.

This is the same mentality that the union leaders had displayed when they remained inflexible during the entire process of negotiations with the government. They maintained a single-point agenda that they wanted the new laws to be taken back without once pointing out what was wrong with them. Now, too, without pointing out what is wrong in getting vaccinated, they have said they will not get jabbed. This kind of attitude will worsen matters. The union leaders should display more maturity and flexibility in tackling all issues.