Govt losing ground in battle of public perception over handling pandemic

Health and Home Ministries have discontinued their daily press briefings on the disease and the Prime Minister his TV addresses to the nation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Letter to the Nation” calls the first anniversary of his re-election as the beginning of “a golden chapter in the history of India”. Home Minister Amit Shah, has also published a eulogy, rather truthfully labelled, wags would claim, as “Undoing 6 decades in 6 years”! In the coming days we will no doubt read many more public encomiums to the leader.

There is little cause to celebrate a political milestone given the government’s particularly inept handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Yet the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to celebrate one year of Modi 2.0 as publicly