Bp Thomas Thuruthimattam
Gorakhpur

In Gorakhpur’s Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College and Hospital seventy children died from August 9 and 11 due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and the deadlier Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) amid allegations that a private company contracted to supply oxygen cylinders cut supply over a payment dispute. Why do you think it has happened?
It has happened due to several reasons. One reason is the malfunctioning of the government institutions, especially in the health sector. There was also carelessness and irresponsibility in the treatment of those patients. The explanation given by UP’s BJP government is that it is usual for many children to die in the month of August cannot be accepted by any means. Those are unjustifiable remarks. They point to the fact that life is of little value to these institutions. Actually, the world view in which they are seeing all these things is centred around fatalism. Poor people suffer simply because of carelessness, for which very simple explanations are given later. Japanese Encephalitis is a very dangerous disease which has been quite prevalent in this area for the last many decades.

But the government has not been able to do anything about it, why?
The government has constructed one special block in the medical college in question for treating it. But look, it is there these deaths took place. Equipments were not functioning properly.

Did the children die because oxygen ran out?
It is only a partial explanation for the deaths.

Why?
Only two doctors and three or four nurses were there in the ward to take care of a hundred children. If government authorities like the district magistrate, the collector or any such person had intervened immediately, emergency supply of oxygen could have easily been arranged.

But why did not they do that?
There was some lack of coordination in the administration.

Pediatric Department Head Dr. Kafeel Khan who did everything to bring cylinders and was able to save as many children as he could and the college principal Rajeev Mishra who wrote letters to the government were the two people who were punished later, why?
That is the tragedy of it. These are the people who actually did something. There were others who were guilty of laxity.

The government is dishing out lies to the people, aren’t they?
In UP, the people are illiterate and of simple faith. By telling lies they are trying to save some people and implicate others. By that they hope to remain in the good books of the people.

What is the priority for the Chief Minister and the BJP, cow or human beings?
That we don’t know, but the cow is something that has got big religious value. The real priorities for them should be progress and development. They have not delivered on their promises and so people are disillusioned in a way. Every time unsubstantiated categorical answers are given by the government when questioned.

Do you think Modi and the BJP are really interested in the development of ordinary people, especially of the lower castes?
Correcting the rot and improving the situation will not happen easily. To admit a mistake is considered a humiliation by them. The Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, had visited the place two days prior to the tragedy. Once in every two or three weeks he visits the place, because it is his constituency. He is trying to do things there. The temple there is the religious and political centre of the place and he is its head.

Are they seriously concerned about human beings and humanism?
They give the impression that they are concerned, but we see it is not in fact their priority. They have just put on a religious mask. I really don’t think that they believe in God or hold deep religious values which can in any way be called human values.

Do you suspect they are prisoners of high caste mentality?
That mentality is there always. That won’t change at all. It is their agenda, but they will not admit it openly. The crooked people who are behind it use political means to realize their pseudo-religious objectives.

The RSS and the VHP have had historical links with Fascism and Nazism. We know what happened in Germany and elsewhere. Do you think that kind of a danger is looming over India?
We can understand from the fruit of their actions that they are using fascist methodology. Deep religious values don’t matter for them, instead we see power, politics, money, autocracy and discrimination against the weaker sections coming centre stage. They clearly say you need not do charity. We are there to do it. The basic thought that Muslims and Christians are foreigners is continuing in the minds of Hindus. That is what we can infer from what is happening.

From that inference, what future do you foresee for Indian democracy and its values, especially of the constitution?
The Prime Minister and the members of his cabinet have taken oath to safeguard the Constitution and its values. They are obliged to work on the basis of the Constitution. As long as judiciary is there, they will continue to work in that line. But the efforts they are taking to have absolute majority in the parliament suggests that they have something more in their mind regarding the constitution.

And that could make the future of India bleak?
The future of India, the map of India and that history of India will be coloured by that kind of a thought.

Why do you think so many people, including youngsters, are still voting for the BJP?
The people are supporting because they still believe growth of employment and development will happen. The BJP always gives a very beautiful picture of India and promise a great future for the country. They say tomorrow’s India will be brighter and it will be a promised paradise. Our people are looking for employment. They want to develop themselves and so are searching for chances. Youngsters below the age of thirty have big dreams.

Do they not realize the contradiction existing between promises and the ground reality?
In Uttar Pradesh, half of the people are illiterate. They simply swallow promises. They go after popular religion. They like organizations that make them always feel that India is theirs and that the progress made by Christians or Muslims was achieved through exploitation of the motherland by foreigners. That creates jealousy among them.