The West can never countenance India
doing something good. They try to dig out a dark line in the brightest of the
skies. They had colonized India. They cannot fathom, that a country that was
long their vassal could stand up on its feet but more importantly could take
the lead in many different global dimensions. This was despite numerous hurdles
that were placed in its journey. This treatment is never applied to China or
Japan for that matter. India is something wrong unless it follows the Western
dictums in every domain. The tragedy is not the Western treatment of India but
the very fact that Indians themselves diss themselves. There is vast section
that thrives on finding rot in the Indian society, economy, business and what
not. They love to run down Indian achievements.
In the Chinese pandemic, it is India
which has emerged as the pharmacy of the world. In the initial days, it was
India which led the world in exporting masks, protection equipment, HCQ
tablets, paracetamols and many other medicines to both developed and developing
world. While China has sought to leverage its geopolitical hold, India has been
considerate and looked at humanity first. In the context of vaccines, it is
India which is leading the battle against the virus. India has exported vaccine
to nearly 100 countries and more are in the pipeline. It is no secret that
China has used its power to get rid of unfavorable people in positions in
countries that need their vaccine. India has attached no such riders. India has
exported more than half of its production, something more than it has used for
its domestic priorities. It must be worth noting that India has a population of
nearly 140 crores and it is not easy to vaccinate in a short period of time.
In comparison, while the US has
produced nearly 16 crores of vaccines, they have not exported a single piece of
their arsenal. In fact, the story of Britain too is the same. Incidentally, the
European Union is ending up exporting its production to Britain thanks to
contracts with Astra Zeneca. It is partly responsible for the EU vaccine
campaign to be in disarray. As one surveys the vaccine scene globally, it is
evident that it is India that has taken upon itself to supply vaccines to the rest
of the world. There is no doubt, that given the sheer population that needs to
be covered, it is virtually impossible to meet the global demand simultaneously.
Indian pharmaceutical industry production capacity is something that is
unmatched anywhere in the world. The quantum of production is quite high. India
has been doing a zealous service irrespective of the motivations.
Yet the Western outlets like the
Guardian seem find some fault or the other with India. In an article in the
Guardian, the authors seem to put all the blame on India for not supply
vaccines to other countries. The article seems to posit that India is the fall
guy when it comes to shortage of global vaccines. The reason is India is using
the supplies of Serum to meet its domestic needs. Apparently Serum Institute is
being forced by the government to prioritize for domestic needs. The authors
argue that Serum Institute was essentially for producing vaccines to GAVI
alliance, something developed and nurtured by Bill Gates Foundation. There is
an element of irony in this. The US is not ready to export neither is Britain.
EU is hoarding vaccines. They have no cross to wear since those companies
apparently did not promise to deliver vaccines for poor countries. If Pfizer or
Moderna or any other firm said we are not going to produce for poor countries,
they are not at fault.
The primary reason lies in the
hatred for Narendra Modi government. The Western think tank culture especially
the liberal variety cannot digest that Modi government is distributing vaccines
to the rest of the world. Therefore, they have reduced it to a mere photo-op. They
argue that Modi government cannot do anything concrete in global interest. They
believe that it is only for the so called Hindu elite who in the words of these
liberals are racists. Anything that India does is to be vilified. The problem
in the global vaccine campaign is the refusal of the pharma majors like Pfizer
or Moderna to increase the production. They have curtailed the production and
are holding the world into ransom. The political maneuvers and the accompanied
regulatory capture are too well known. The US and the EU have consistently
opposed the waiver of IP requirements to expand the production. Yet these all
are something perhaps noble in the words of the liberal commentators. Only India
seems to be the problem area.
The article seems to suggest a hold out
problem by India. They seem to suggest that the responsibility of the health of
the developing world lies with India. There is no doubt on the same and India
has lived up to its standards consistently. Even in the current scenario, India
has been sending vaccines in whatever means it can to the rest of the world. There
is a strong political pressure on PM Modi to expand the vaccine campaign in
India. He has resisted the forces calling for vaccine nationalism and continued
to help countries at least vaccinate their health care and other frontline
workers. There is something that the world is supposed to express gratitude
for. Yet to the liberals, India should have the last charge on the vaccines. It
doesn’t matter what the developed world does, but India should do what they
want it to do. This guilt tripping is the biggest barrier to entry in the global
power calculus. It is not about power, it is about creating a barrier wherein
India cannot exercise its national interests without feeling a moral guilt. This
was something practiced to core during Nehruvian days and continue to be pressurized
even today. It must be said that PM Modi must stand up to the pressure and not
let go Indian interest held hostage by moral guilt tripping.
(The article is available here)
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