Health minister K K Shailaja could perhaps be the most trusted name in Kerala today but the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) is deeply disappointed with the former teacher. “It is high time the health minister put an end to her media mania,” is how opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala put it on Thursday.
Chennithala asked what was the need to conduct four to five press conferences a day. “Won't press releases do the job? What is happening now is a kind of image-building exercise,” the opposition leader said.
The opposition has been apparently provoked after the health minister told in the Assembly on March 11 that the opposition had failed to realise the gravity of the problem at hand. “The opposition leader's Facebook post had caused me immense pain,” Shailaja told Chennithala.
Chennithala had earlier put out a Facebook post questioning the minister's public condemnation of the Italy-returned family. He said the family had indeed informed the airport authorities that they were coming from Italy. Shailaja said that Chennithala would not have written such a post had he shown the courtesy to talk to her.
Western model, British shock
Chennithala also told that Kerala, instead of trying to contain the spread of coronavirus, should adopt the 'mitigation' strategy employed by western countries like America and Britain. Chennithala's argument was that unlike the Nipah virus, coronavirus could not be fully eradicated. “It would stay on in mild doses,” he said.
The health minister then told Chennithala that deaths were recorded in countries like America. “Hope you are also aware that the health minister of Britain (Nadine Dorries) had tested positive for COVID-19,” she said.
The opposition felt the minister rubbed it in further. The UDF members were furious that the minister refused to take any questions posed by some of the junior members of the UDF in the Assembly on March 11.
Uncomfortable questions
Muslim League leader Dr M K Muneer said the government's move to guillotine the current session was nothing but an attempt to avoid uncomfortable questions about the Health Department. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the Assembly on Thursday that the Business Advisory Committee would convene on Friday (March 13) and see whether the existing session could be called off.
“The discussion related to the Health Department is scheduled in the coming days. It is not that we are against the health minister, it is just that we want to raise certain concerns. But if the session is called off, we sand to lose the chance,” Kerala Congress (Jacob) leader Anoop Jacob said.
Kerala's own Goddess
Muneer said the health minister was sought to be given God-like status. “It is as if no one can question her, and she too doesn't brook any opposition,” Muneer said. He said if Kerala could keep COVID-19 at bay, the health minister alone could not usurp the credit. “It was all of us, the Kerala society, our general literacy, that has allowed Kerala to keep many steps ahead of the disease,” Muneer said.
The health minister had in fact refused to take many questions on COVID-19 in the Assembly on March 11. An opposition member, for instance, had said that a cruise ship from Italy had anchored at Kochi harbour on March 3 and the authorities had allowed the passengers to go shopping in the city without conducting any screening.
The minister did not respond. Shailaja, however, said that she was ready for a discussion at a later date. If the proceedings are guillotined, this discussion will not take place.
End of session
The Chief Minister's argument was that it was a Muslim League member, K N A Khader, who had written to the Speaker asking that the session be cancelled. However, Muslim League leader Muneer said that it was just an individual opinion and that his party and the Front do not subscribe to the view. “If the session is called off it will help only to intensify panic among the public,” Muneer said.
COVID-19, which stands for Coronavirus Disease 2019, is the name of the disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the Coronavirus family with crown-shaped spikes on its surfaces. The name of the disease was given by the World Health Organisation.
