Residents in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, Varanasi, are forced to bang thaalis in protest over not getting food to eat during the lockdown.
Varanasi| Residents in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, Varanasi, are forced to bang thaalis in protest over not getting food to eat during the lockdown.
During the one day Janata Curfew on 22 March, PM Modi had asked people to come out on their door, balconies, and clap, bang thaalis to applaud the health workers and professionals fighting on the frontline against the Coronavirus.
Imitating the same exercise, some residents in Varanasi banged thaalis after they ran out of food to eat during the lockdown because of the coronavirus.
One woman, who participated in the exercise to register her protest, said, “We are dying of hunger, We are not getting any ration. There’s my mother’s name on the ration card and not mine. They said since I was married I couldn’t get a ration in her name. Now I’m completely dependent on my mother. We get 5 KGs of wheat, all are eating from that 5 Kg for so many days. Now that our stomachs are burning because of hunger, we are beating the thaalis.”
She further added, “We aren’t getting any help from authorities. They said since we have sons and ration cards, we will not get the food as it is only for disabled people. Even the disabled aren’t getting complete ration or food. Those who are acquaintances of the authorities are getting these benefits. There are 12 houses in one block. One house out of 12 is getting food while the 11 other houses stay hungry. Where there are 6 people in the house, there is ration only for 2 people. How’d they survive?”
Another man narrated a similar story to our reporter. He said, “The food is distributed here, but they don’t give it to people who have ration cards. The Khichdi they are distributing is so bad, the even people who get it are throwing it away. We don’t know who’s getting food and who’s not.”
After PM Modi announced a 21-day lockdown across the country, many expressed worries over how the poor and daily wage laborers will survive during this period. Although, the government assured that it’ll not let anyone sleep hungry during the lockdown, the reality on the ground is different.
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