EYEBALL-TO-EYEBALL WITH CHINA EXCLUSIVE WHERE THEY HAVE THE EDGE MORE CASES DON’T MEAN POOR GOVERNANCE, SAYS GUJARAT CM RUPANI ANITA PRATAP WHY DONALD TRUMP IS A LIAR SPORTS LEAGUES NO ACTION, NO MONEY MUMBAI DREAM CITY’S NIGHTMARE CLOSE TO THE BRINK: JERRY PINTO June 2020 th Licensed to Post Without Prepayment. Published on Friday 5 on Friday Published Prepayment. Without Post to Licensed The Week RNI No.36122/1982, Registered No. KL/EKM/756/2018-20, Licence No. KL/CR/EKM/WPP-20/2018-20. KL/CR/EKM/WPP-20/2018-20. No. KL/EKM/756/2018-20, Licence No. Registered RNI No.36122/1982, Week The VOL. 38 NO. 24 THE WEEK JUNE 14 2020 FOR THE WEEK JUNE 8 - JUNE 14 12 44 61 AP PIB CURRENT EVENTS BORDER TUSSLE @LEISURE Digital diplomacy is here to stay, but The problem for India, in case of a Director Shoojit Sircar knows challenging relationships still require flare-up, may not be of numbers, but exactly how to bring his traditional platforms of command coordination characters to life 16 GUJARAT COVER STORY Interview: Recovery COLUMNS 30 rate in Gujarat is higher than national 9 POWER POINT Sachidananda Murthy average, says Chief Minister Vijay Rupani 21 FORTHWRITE Meenakshi Lekhi The pandemic has exposed the systemic 49 DETOUR ills plaguing the BJP’s Shobhaa De model state 56 SOUND BITE 22 TAMIL NADU Anita Pratap The optimism of the 57 SCHIZO-NATION Palaswami govern- Anuja Chauhan HIGH ALERT ment cannot hide its mismanagement of 74 LAST WORD Residents in Navtej Sarna PTI Dharavi being the pandemic screened for Covid-19 28 KERALA MAX PAIN This is just the inter- Despite an almost three-month lockdown, the outbreak in mission in our fight, bracing for budget India’s financial capital has exposed its already broken medical says Dr B. Ekbal, who cuts and revenue loss infrastructure, leaving patients in a crisis. There is an acute heads the state’s expert committee on 58 CYBERSECURITY shortage of beds, ventilators, ambulances and staff, and the The pandemic has left Covid-19 ever-changing policies have only added to the despair. THE Indians particularly WEEK looks at how Mumbai is battling the pandemic 52 SPORTS vulnerable against Leagues in India are cyber-attacks Plus Author Jerry Pinto says the question is not of survival, but of learning We cannot go about testing randomly, says Dr Sanjay Oak, state task Printed at Malayala Manorama Press, Kottayam, Print House India Pvt force chief Ltd, Mumbai, M P Printers, Noida, and Rajhans Enterprises, Bengaluru, How the pandemic has affected Mumbai’s economy and published from Manorama Buildings, Panampilly Nagar, Kochi-682 036, by Jacob Mathew, on behalf of the Malayala Manorama Co.Ltd., Bollywood is cautiously returning to work, but challenges remain Kottayam-686 001. Editor Philip Mathew • Focus/Infocus features are paid marketing/PR initiatives COVER DESIGN BINESH SREEDHARAN COVER PHOTO HITMAN H./SHUTTERSTOCK 2 THE WEEK • JUNE 14, 2020 JUNE 14, 2020 • THE WEEK 3 LETTERS Your cover story helped of society. Nobody in dicult centres. I (‘Starving steeds’, May Editor Philip Mathew Chief Associate Editor & Director Riyad Mathew EXCLUSIVE BANGLADESH FOREIGN MINISTER ADMITS... CRIME in diluting the general should suer during the hope these issues are 31). Whether it is stray YES, INDIA HELPED NAB MUJIB KILLER TECH-SAVVY TEENS Editor-in-Charge V.S. Jayaschandran TERRORISE SCHOOLGIRLS feeling that the economic lockdown. addressed before the dogs, cows or horses, ZOOM’S INDIA HEAD Stanley Thomas WARNING USERS AGAINST Senior News Editor US WAS UNFORTUNATE package was a case Vismay Mathur, scheme is launched! they are all News Editor Lukose Mathew EXCLUSIVE BEN STOKES: BAFFLED HOW VIRAT, ROHIT PLAYED AGAINST US of ‘too little; too late’. On email. During my younger suering today. Deputy News Editors Mathew T. George, Maijo Abraham, e concept ‘there days, I had a dream Hats o to Ajish P. Joy MODI’S GREAT GAMBLE Resident Editor, Delhi K.S. Sachidananda Murthy No free lunches in the biggest reforms are no free lunches’ is Prepare for it to join the military organisations like the Chief of Bureau, Delhi R. Prasannan stamped all over the e decision of the Army as a commissioned People for Animals that Chief of Bureau, Mumbai Dnyanesh V. Jathar package, including on to introduce the Tour ocer. But, back then, are feeding these horses Deputy Chief of Bureau, Delhi Neeru Bhatia Chief Subeditors Susamma Kurian, the enhanced borrowing of Duty scheme is a the forces were not as and keeping them alive. Navin J. Antony limits of states. e ham- welcome move (‘ree- keen as they are now It is true that the lives Senior Subeditors Anirudha Karindalam, Anirudh Madhavan PLUS handed manner in which year hitch’, May 31). While in inducting new faces, of humans matter more CHIEF ECONOMIC ADVISER Subeditors Diya Mathew, Karthik Ravindranath, KRISHNAMURTHY SUBRAMANIAN OUT OF THE BOX IDEAS the migrant crisis was— the intention here has to and the vacancies were than animals. But we Reuben Joe Joseph, Nirmal Jovial ON THE TABLE, TOO P. CHIDAMBARAM and is being—handled by be appreciated, there are not properly advertised should never shy away FORMER FINANCE MINISTER SENIOR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENTS THIS GOVT IS OPPORTUNISTIC the Centre is inexcusable. bound to be problems. as they are done now. from feeding animals D. SUBBARAO, EX-RBI CHIEF Delhi: Rekha Dixit, Mandira Nayar, Hyderabad: Rahul Devulapalli CRISIS THE RIGHT TIME FOR REFORMS Raveendranath A., While the short stint in So, I ended up in the in our vicinity after we Namrata Biji Ahuja, Soni Mishra, Kochi: Anjuly Mathai On email. the Army may inculcate banking sector. ough make sure that humans K. Sunil Thomas Srinagar: Tariq Ahmad Bhat SENIOR CORRESPONDENTS a sense of discipline I did not lose much, are fed. Lucknow: Puja Awasthi Bengaluru: Mini P. Thomas, Kolkata: Rabi Banerjee Give them money I agree with D. Subbarao among the inductees, I hope young people Tigin omas, Abhinav Singh Delhi: Sneha Bhura e Centre’s economic package will help that a crisis is the most of them may see today will take full On email. SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS Mumbai: Priyanka Bhadani, Delhi: Pratul Sharma, Namita Kohli, Pooja Biraia Jaiswal restart the economy (‘Selective treatment’, right time to make a it as a stepping stone to advantage of the Army’s Pradip R. Sagar May 31). Both the state and the Central commitment to reforms. other lucrative positions latest move, and, with I blame parents Bengaluru: Prathima Nandakumar Thiruvananthapuram: Cithara Paul CHIEF REPORTER governments were already under immense e Central government and may not take their job that exposure, will e Bois Locker Room Mumbai: Nachiket Kelkar UAE: Raju Mathew, Dubai scal stress, and this was the right thing to do. did the right thing seriously. excel in their second is a sheer disgrace and Chennai Lakshmi Subramanian Bhopal: Sravani Sarkar India is showing initial signs of emerging by announcing the Some may demand assignment. I blame the parents Ahmedabad: Nandini Gunavantrai Oza from a slowdown. But the workers’ livelihood economic stimulus extension of Canteen B.C. Unnikrishnan of these boys for not Photo Editor: Sanjoy Ghosh Art Editor: Jayakrishnan M.T. crisis will persist for some more time, and one package. e government Stores Department, Nair, inculcating the right Deputy Photo Editors Assistant Art Editor: Binesh Sreedharan cannot expect instant solution there. claims that the package which oers items at On email. values in their sons Bhanu Prakash Chandra, Salil Bera Senior Infographic In India, 020 lakh crore is big. But this has is 10 per cent of the GDP, concessional rates. In the (‘Virtual, vile’, May 31). Chief Photographers Designer: Sreemanikandan S. Delhi: Arvind Jain, Sanjay Ahlawat Illustrator: B. Bhaskaran to be used primarily to help those at the but much of it, I suppose, normal course, a person A stint in the Army will Men fantasise about Mumbai: Janak Bhat, Amey Suhas Mansabdar Layout Artist: B. Manojkumar receiving end of the lockdown. e money is already injected. undergoes two years of bring in discipline, women, and women Photographer Designers: Deni Lal, Job P.K. should be there in the hands of the people, Mobility of migrants rigorous training before condence, teamwork fantasise about men. Delhi: Aayush Goel Graphic Designer: Syam Krishnan Chief Picture Coordinator Artists: Rajesh A.S., Sumesh C.N., and not in the air. requires a carefully being commissioned into and a sense of at is all perfectly ne. Bimal Nath C. Sujesh K., Ajeesh Kumar M., Jairaj T.G. e migrant labourers suered the most considered framework the Army. In the proposed patriotism in young But none of us should Research: Jomy M. Joseph Senior Researcher: Rani G.S. during the lockdown, followed by people who and it should be move, the training period people. is is a right demean ourselves to Photo Archivist: Deepak Joy T. did various menial jobs for survival. At least constantly overseen by is only six months. is move. Many countries such extent. THEWEEK.IN 50 per cent of the benets of the economic the Central government. may lead to two types of in the world are Vrinda Gopi, New Media Coordinator Neeraj Krishnan package should go to such people—directly or All migrants should be commissioned ocers already following such On email. Deputy New Media Coordinator Sarath Ramesh Kuniyl indirectly. given xed cash when within the force, leading a system. Once they Senior Subeditors Hazeeda Vijayakumar, Sumitra Nair, Vaisakh E. Hari, Ancy K. Sunny, Tapesh Nagpal, they are unemployed. to internal rivalries. e leave the Army, these Great service Jose K. George, Justin Paul George On email.