In a sincere case of appeasment of Muslims, the Communist state of Kerala under the leadership of comrade Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has relaxed the COVID restrictions imposed in the state for allowing the Muslims to celebrate Bakrid Qurbani amid a record number of positive cases on a daily basis.
Kerala is recording 13,000 COVID cases per day on average and more than 30 per cent of national cases are being reported from this state compared to Uttar Pradesh.
However, the Indian state of Uttrakhand, where the daily average for new covid cases is just 48 has cancelled the Kanwar Yatra in anticipation of the possibility of a COVID third wave.
The decision was taken by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in the best interests of the state and country. Kanwar Yatra is a yearly pilgrimage wherein hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees of Shiva, known as Kānvarias travel to places like Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch holy waters of Ganges River.
However, this year amid the possibility of third wave this yatra has been cancelled and as usaul the Supreme Court which has a long history of judicial overreach when it comes to Hindu rituals and customs have said that the “Health and the Right to Life is paramount” and gave the Uttar Pradesh government time till Monday (July 19) to reconsider its decision to allow the Kanwar Yatra.
“We are, of prima facie view, that it concerns all of us and is at the heart of the fundamental Right to Life. The health of citizenry of India and right to life is paramount, all other sentiments, whether it be religious (or otherwise), are subservient to this basic fundamental right,” Justices Nariman and BR Gavai said.
“We can give you one more opportunity to consider holding yatra physically at all. This or else we pass an order. We are all Indians and this suo motu has been taken up as Article 21 applies to all of us. Either you reconsider to have it at all or we deliver,” it said.
It must also be noted that the Supreme Court had taken up the issue on its own and is now seeking answers from UP and the Centre to respond on the yatra but there is no such interference by the apex court of India when it comes to Kerala since the religion in question is Islam.
But there is no such interference from the courts in Kerala where the state government is now going to open shops and impose no restrictions for thre days as Muslims celebrate Bakri Eid even with thousands of COVID are reported every day.
Due to the state government going appeasement politics, health experts warning of a sharp increase in the cases once the restrictions are lifted.
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