A responsible government, during times of pandemic, would have taken the threats posed by quacks seriously. It would have understood that at a time when medicine is essential for the survival of millions, questioning the merit of life-saving medicine by quacks in saffron robes is dangerous to our collective health.

But the fact that the quack in question can go around daring people to arrest him shows that this is not a responsible government. If anything, it seems this government is in its usual "aapda mein avsar" mode again. If medicine can be blamed for the state of affairs, then perhaps the government can get away with incompetence. It's not a new template.

They've done it before. They've blamed social workers for social discord. They've blamed riot victims for riots. They've blamed scholars for what they call lack of education. Doctors are simply the latest in a long line of imaginary enemies that have been created so that the government's image may be protected.

After all, none of us matter in the year 2021. Our only purpose is to make the government look good and to make sure they can sell stuff to make money that may be put into election campaigns. If the public has to be told that medicine (which they call "allopathy" for some reason) is the culprit, then so be it. All that matters is dhandha. And advertising that dhandha is the entire game.

Irresponsibility and incompetence go hand-in-hand. Responsible folks make an effort to be competent. Those who have never had any intention of doing what their job is will never take responsible decisions.