Editor's note: Rabi Sankar Bosu is an Indian contributor to Chinese media outlets. He writes about Chinese politics, social and cultural issues, and China-India relations with a special interest in the Belt and Road Initiative. The article reflects the author's views, and not necessarily those of CGTN.

On January 22, while addressing the 18th convocation of Tezpur University in Assam virtually, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared India as one of the countries that had successfully controlled the rampaging coronavirus. "With a made-in-India solution, we resisted the virus spread significantly and utilized the opportunity to improve our health infrastructure. Our vaccine research and production capacity has given a protection shield not only to India but to many other countries in the world," he boasted. 

He also trumpeted the same refrain in his address at the online World Economic Forum's Davos Dialogue on January 28 while taking pride in his government's "vaccine diplomacy" with a geopolitical calculation that it had saved hundreds of millions around the world.

But the real truth is the complete opposite of his endless rhetoric to combat the pandemic as well as the country's vaccination drive. While countless Indian ordinary citizens are now standing in the helpless endangerment of "the second coming" of COVID-19, the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's victory over the devastating pandemic is a hollow claim like his 2014 election promise of bringing "achhey din" (good days) for Indians. The majority of Indian people are now raising their voices against the Modi government for generating the nation's deadliest public health crisis.

The second wave of COVID-19 has clearly exposed the government's misgovernance in controlling the spread of the pandemic. It is very unfortunate, in fact shameful, that India is now the second worst-hit country after the United States in terms of deaths and virus caseload. The magnitude of deaths indicates that the Modi government has paid scant attention to strengthening its medical infrastructure since the virus first appeared in January 2020.

Despite some anti-virus measures taken by the Modi government, the whole of India is now facing a very dark hour due to the central governments' utter callousness in dealing with the horrific proportions of the COVID-19 surge.

Relatives of coronavirus victims stand in long queues to find spaces for funerals at crematoriums and makeshift funeral grounds in all states in the country. Indian people and the whole world shudder to see the shocking images of multiple funeral pyres and burial grounds which reveal a grim picture of India under the Modi government which is busy establishing political power rather than protecting the common people.

As the curve of COVID-19 grief and distress grows, the anguish of ordinary people segues into demands for accountability regarding this public health disaster. When thousands of patients are desperately pleading for lifesaving drugs such as remdesivir or oxygen supplies, isn't it a farce for Modi to call India a "world pharmacy?"

Furthermore, Modi has wanted to build a personality cult as the "savior" of the world by donating vaccines to UN peacekeeping forces and more than 80 countries, but the irony is that the COVID-19 tragedy has now forced India to take out a begging bag for life-saving medicines, oxygen and ventilators from foreign nations to overcome the worsening crisis.

In the face of the gloom of the devastating pandemic, the Indian people have been most vocal about the Modi government's failure to provide vaccines, endangering them. Since coming into power in 2014, Modi and his colleagues have been too busy seeking to enhance their political influence across the country instead of taking responsibility for the well-being of the people. The majority of Indian people question what is the need for an elected government at the center if it fails to distribute vaccines to its citizens free of charge as many countries do now?

Social media hashtags #ModiResign and #ModiMadeDisaster are flat answers to the anti-people policy of the Modi government which seems to be nonchalant toward the COVID–19 crisis. The government must keep in mind that "with great power comes great responsibility." But it is a pity that this initial truth has not been reflected in the response to the coronavirus crisis.

Quite rightly, India's COVID-19 tragedy has earned an avalanche of criticism from home and abroad. International media with unflattering headlines – "Modi leads India out of lockdown and into a COVID-19 apocalypse" or "Modi's mistakes: a pandemic that is out of control" or "Health collapse in India: 'The main culprit is Narendra Modi'" have exposed that like his "big friend", former U.S. President Donald Trump, he has also miserably failed to protect his people. Undoubtedly, the Modi government's wrong priorities in the election rallies in five states and allowing gatherings for the Hindu religious festival Kumbh Mela have further spread the disease resulting in loss of lives that can be seen in the burning of mass funeral pyres across the country.

It's really unfortunate that in his address to the nation on April 20, Modi virtually passed his responsibility of dealing with the dire COVID-19 situation to the state governments and the public. The ruling government at the center must understand that when public health is deemed less important in public policy, it has an economic bearing on society in addition to a resultant loss of lives.

The fight against the pandemic is a long-term war during which there should be no center-state rivalries.

Besides observing firmer enforcement of COVID-19 protocols, the coordination of the central and state governments is the need of the hour. To overcome this catastrophic situation, India needs to fight as one.

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