On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 71st birthday, India is all set to break the 2 crore vaccines administered in a day record – a feat that many developing nations across the globe cannot even fathom to imagine, let alone achieve it on the ground. While the Indian government continues its ambitious mass vaccination campaign, PM Modi has quietly dressed down World Health Organization and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the world stage for gifting humanity a deadly virus. A development that has seemingly gone under the radar of the mainstream media.
According to a report published in The Hindu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the BRICS summit last week made a strong intervention in favour of a “transparent investigation” into the origins of the pandemic in the presence of CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping.
WHO needs to prove its credibility: PM Modi
PM Modi said, “Today global governance needs credibility. There must be a transparent investigation into the origins of the virus under the World Health Organisation’s framework, and this must receive full cooperation from all countries.”
The Indian PM, who has been at the forefront of taking on China for over a year now, added, “If this is done, it will reduce the questions over WHO’s credibility, and we would be able to prepare better for future pandemics as well.” Interestingly, the cheeky and subtle way in which PM Modi targeted Xi Jinping was done privately, and excerpts of the same were not released publicly, according to The Hindu.
With a single statement, PM Modi demolished the credibility of WHO which has already fallen several notches in the last one and a half years. WHO actively colluded with China, hid the severity of the virus, did shoddy investigations, and made catastrophic claims that the virus could not be transferred to humans. Not to forget the inherent racism against India-made vaccines.
Whimper from Xi Jinping
Left red-faced at the subtle humiliation meted his way, Xi Jinping brought his gibberish prowess of saying nothing by mumbling everything, “We need to promote global solidarity against COVID-19, join forces to tackle the pandemic, uphold a science-based approach to tracing its origins, and oppose politicization and stigmatization.”
After having played the subtle victim card, Jinping pacifyingly added, “We need to enhance coordination in COVID prevention and control, and boost the research, production and equitable distribution of vaccines as a global public good.”
Independent inquiry into the origins of the virus
After the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, it was the Quad nations that demanded an international independent inquiry into the origins of the virus. While Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison led from the front, the Indian PM tacitly provided his support given tensions were running high on the border due to skirmishes with the Chinese troops. PM Modi assessed the diplomatic nerve at the time and didn’t go all out but now he is coming after China openly.
Ever since the Galwan valley clash where 20 Indian soldiers were martyred, India has waged a lethal anti-China economic campaign. Beginning with the banning of all major Chinese apps in the country, China’s interests in telecom, education, and other sectors have been targeted. It hasn’t helped China’s cause that its madmen President is on a spree to cull the wings of any entrepreneur that dares to become bigger than the megalomaniac leader.
Let’s talk reparations
PM Modi’s statements regarding WHO follows the same trajectory as that of former US President Donald Trump who at the onset of the virus had called out the health body for its dubious standards when it came to dealing with China.
With India on the path of beating the virus with its mass vaccination campaign, now is the time to talk about reparations and no better place to start for it than by questioning WHO and China.