A data-driven examination of India's second COVID wave — vaccine shortages, PM CARES, state performance, and the politics underneath.
India's second COVID-19 wave in 2021 killed hundreds of thousands, overwhelmed hospitals, and produced a political crisis that played out simultaneously on television, in parliament, and in the streets. At the centre of the controversy was Prime Minister Narendra Modi — accused of diverting funds to the Central Vista construction project, of mismanaging vaccine distribution, and of allowing Kumbh Mela gatherings and state elections to accelerate transmission. Modi Stole My Mask takes those accusations seriously and examines each one with data.
Amit Bagaria and Savio Rodrigues compare India's case and death statistics against other large nations, trace the origins and spread of the second wave, investigate the PM CARES Fund's expenditure, and ask whether the virus itself may have been a Chinese bioweapon. They look at which states managed the crisis well and which did not, document the conduct of media coverage during the wave, and record who actually helped India cope — including those who received no credit for it.
The book functions as both a contemporaneous account and a forensic review: a record of what happened, who benefited from claiming otherwise, and what the data actually shows when separated from the noise.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to be losing his popularity due to a huge second wave of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic infected more than 17.58 crore people (over 2.2% of the world's population) and killed more than 36.53 lakh people in 18 months. In India, it infected more than 2.86 crore people (over 1.87% of population) and killed more than 3.32 lakh people in 15 months. Is the SARS-CoV-2 virus or Coronavirus a Chinese bioweapon purposely unleashed upon the world? How bad are India's total cases and deaths when compared with other large countries? Which states are the most and the least affected; which managed the pandemic well and which didn't? How bad is India's second wave, and was it planned in advance? If yes, by whom and why? Were the Kumbh Mela and the state elections responsible for the second wave? How did co-vultures profit from it? Why did India face a shortage of vaccines, hospital beds, Oxygen, and COVID-19 treatment drugs? Did Prime Minister Modi divert money for constructing the new Central Vista instead of fighting COVID-19? Was money from the PM CARES Fund not spent for COVID-19 relief efforts? What kind of dirty politics was played during the second wave? Was the media irresponsible and biased? Who all helped India to cope with the crisis? When will all Indians get fully vaccinated?
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