Amaravati: Leaders hogging relief limelight violate social distancing

Amaravati: Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has been steadfast in his commitment to social distancing from the day one of the lockdown due to corona. He has been advising his officials to ensure the physical distancing among the people even at Rythu Bazars, agricultural fields, utility stores, medical shops and even hospitals every day.

Not a day passes with the government insisting on it and reiterating the importance of the same in containing the spread of corona.

Sadly, there is none to either practice or check the same in the government itself. The pictures that emerge either out of the vegetable markets or ration shops (as we have seen this week) or of the streets where people are pillion riding the two-wheelers are proof enough of the gross negligence of the distancing laws.

In Nellore on Saturday, the ruling party leaders even staged dharna as police objected to their movement without wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.

But, why blame the public alone? How about our own people's representatives? Ministers, MLAs' and other local leaders who are either assisting the authorities or distributing relief to the needy goes to establish the scant regard they have for the laws.

With pride writ large on their faces, the ruling party leaders are seen handing over relief material to people. Of course, in most of the pictures we see camaraderie among them rubbing their shoulders to find their place in the photographs or video streams.

All this leaves us wondering sometimes, as to whether these guys 'distribute/ donate/ give away' any relief at all if there are no lensmen around.

There are any number of government agencies,

NGOs and well organised groups involved in relief work. An MLA or a political leader or a Minister or MP, is more of a nuisance rather than relief to the people in these times of travail.

The State has an excellent machinery in the form of village secretariats, ASHA and health workers.

They are rendering a yeomen service.

One could easily pass on the relief material with the help of police too.

If any leader says he does not know where the deprived sections are to be found for one to reach the relief to them, it will be ridiculous.

One driver with a vehicle would do the job. Or does it require a Chief Minister's retaliatory action to quell this madness too?