From America, crying out before the world, to the European countries, all look with hope to the socialist countries: P Nandakumar writes

As Covid-19 runs riot, the Western world is unable to defend itself. While the developed capitalist countries stand bewildered, the socialist countries are holding it back and moving ahead. The gap between the two systems, between inhuman capitalism and the humane socialist system, stands out like darkness and light. From America, crying out before the world without even basic health facilities, to the European countries, they all look with hope to the socialist countries. Whether it is health services, medicines, or protective equipment from ventilators to masks, the Western countries are reduced to depending on the socialist countries. Not only China but the small countries Cuba and Vietnam have won praise around the world for the help they are giving. Kerala is a state within a country that is vigorously implementing neoliberal policies. No one can deny that Kerala has held back the Covid pandemic and has among the lowest death rates and highest recovery rates in the world. Moreover, the biggest challenge facing the world and our country is to stop people falling to Covid. Along with this, it is vital to ensure food and basic facilities for the crores of people at the bottom who have lost their work and are starving. Otherwise there could be starvation deaths and worse.

Kerala is the only state in India that understood this and took a strong approach early on. Which other state has given every family 15 kg of free rations and a kit of essentials? Apart from the rice of the central quota, what do other states give? Which state has given poor workers relief like this? Which state runs shelters, food and community kitchens for guest workers in an organised way? Kerala has met this responsibility even while struggling in a financial crisis, without a rupee of tax revenue and with every limitation. Why Kerala could do this is what must be discussed. The reason is the alternative policies implemented by the Communist and Left Democratic Front governments since 1957: a strong public health sector, unwavering loyalty to ordinary people and workers, and measures that help them. When Kerala was putting its plans and measures to prevent Covid into practice, Chennithala said it was American-model measures that should be implemented here, and he even made a speech in the Assembly saying so. Had that been done, could Chennithala and company be carrying on the controversies and petty schemes they are carrying on now? Then he said the Rajasthan model of the Congress government should be implemented. It would be good to look at the situation in Rajasthan today. There 1,535 people have been infected with Covid and twenty-five have died, and it is spreading in many districts (21/04/2020). The Rajasthan government cannot stop it. What relief do they give the poor? Everything announced for workers is only for those in construction, paid with help from the construction welfare fund board. It was announced that the 23 lakh workers registered with the board would get Rs 2,500. By the evening of April 21 only 22.50% of workers had received this benefit, and there are many conditions: if husband and wife are both workers, only one gets it; those who get BPL benefits do not get it; widows do not get it either. There is no such thing as a community kitchen there, no shelter for guest workers, and no benefit at all for any other workers. This is the Rajasthan model.

Now the Sprinklr controversy is going on.

They say no data collection or analysis is needed to stop Covid. That may do for the states they rule. Even as the whole country is in distress, and other states (including those ruled by the Congress) slide towards starvation deaths and unrest, at a time when everyone should be saying with one voice that the food grains lying in the Centre's stocks must be distributed free to the poor and that they must be given urgent financial help of at least Rs 7,500, our opposition is ganging up to attack the state government. That, apparently, is their duty. These petty people are not willing to take a strong stand when the Centre denies Kerala the benefits and tax share it is entitled to, when we say small and medium industries must be protected and need a package, when we demand a higher ration quota to distribute to the poor, or when we demand that the state's borrowing limit be raised. There have been such pretenders at every time in history, but their place is only in the dustbin.

Postscript: Just as no vaccine has been found for Covid-19, no vaccine has been found for envy and a rotten mind either.