<p>India is suffering a coronavirus catastrophe with millions of infections and nearly 300,000 dead but it is likely to have a limited impact on the political fortunes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Here's why.</p>.<p>A massive surge in cases has overwhelmed the health system in many areas.</p>.<p>Officially, the death toll is nearing 300,000. But many experts say the true figure could be three or four times higher -- and maybe more.</p>.<p>Hundreds of bodies have been dumped in rivers or buried in shallow graves.</p>.<p>Barely three per cent of people are fully vaccinated. <br /><br /><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/govt-asks-social-media-firms-to-remove-contents-referring-to-indian-variant-of-coronavirus-988647.html" target="_blank">Govt asks social media firms to remove contents referring to ‘Indian variant’ of coronavirus</a></strong></p>.<p>India's top virologist recently quit a scientific advisory panel after criticising the government's "stubborn resistance to evidence-based policymaking".</p>.<p>In early 2021 it appeared India might have overcome the pandemic.</p>.<p>India has "saved the world from disaster by bringing the situation under control," Modi said on January 28.</p>.<p>Huge political rallies for a string of elections and mass religious gatherings went ahead, including the Kumbh Mela with millions of mostly maskless pilgrims.</p>.<p>The authorities did little to prepare for another wave of infections, critics say. Oxygen production was not increased and field hospitals were dismantled.</p>.<p>Two recent surveys, Twitter hashtags like #Modiresign and a barrage of anecdotal evidence strongly suggest so. <br /><br /><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/bjp-in-meeting-spree-after-missing-in-action-charge-from-opposition-988457.html" target="_blank">BJP in meeting spree after 'missing in action' charge from Opposition</a></strong></p>.<p>Emblematic for many is the fact that all the while work has continued on a grandiose revamp of the Indian parliament area.</p>.<p>"(Bodies) are literally floating in the river Ganga," said student Oindrila Ghosh, 19.</p>.<p>"Why is the government prioritising this (project) more than the health and safety of the public?"</p>.<p>Some rank-and-file supporters of Modi's Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) are unhappy.</p>.<p>The government "made a terrible mistake by not planning for a Covid-19 second wave disaster," Amit, 38, a self-declared "hard-core" BJP supporter told AFP. <br /><br /><strong>Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/covid-19-time-for-pm-modi-to-act-instead-of-giving-speeches-advice-says-congress-988587.html" target="_blank">Covid-19: Time for PM Modi to act instead of giving speeches, advice, says Congress</a></strong></p>.<p>"This will make people like me not vote in the next election for the BJP, or any party."</p>.<p>Shailja Jain, 28, said since voting for Modi in 2019 her support had already taken a hit from the BJP's "fascist, communal, casteist, hyper-capitalist agenda".</p>.<p>"But their handling of the Covid-19 pandemic was the absolute last straw," the chartered accountant told AFP.</p>.<p>Helped by its social media army, the BJP has gone on the offensive, blaming state governments and others for ignoring what it says were Modi's repeated warnings of a second wave.</p>.<p>This week the BJP released a "toolkit" purportedly compiled by the opposition Congress party aimed at "spreading fake, negative news and stirring up discontent". </p>.<p>Congress called it bogus and Twitter labelled a tweet by the BJP's national spokesman featuring screenshots of the alleged masterplan as "manipulated media".</p>.<p>The BJP failed to win the state election in West Bengal and did poorly in some constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.</p>.<p>Some attribute this to Modi's handling of the pandemic.</p>.<p>But local issues were big in these elections, and the BJP did well in Assam and Puducherry and made substantial gains in West Bengal despite failing to clinch the state.</p>.<p>Nationally, the only real rival is the ailing Congress, and the next general election isn't scheduled till 2024.</p>.<p>"The Congress has completely collapsed everywhere," said Kanchan Gupta from the Observer Research Foundation.</p>.<p>"Once initial anger subsides, people (will) start looking at things more rationally," Gupta told AFP.</p>.<p>Michael Kugelman from the Wilson Centre said the current situation "will be forgotten soon enough".</p>.<p>This is the case even if the pandemic continues.</p>.<p>"Modi is likely to go into the next election from a position of strength -- no matter how the pandemic plays out," he told AFP.</p>.<p>But Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a contributor to the Indian Express daily, is not so sure.</p>.<p>"This crisis is so personal to most people, it's not an abstract crisis. It's not happening to other people, it's happening everywhere," he told AFP.</p>
<p>India is suffering a coronavirus catastrophe with millions of infections and nearly 300,000 dead but it is likely to have a limited impact on the political fortunes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Here's why.</p>.<p>A massive surge in cases has overwhelmed the health system in many areas.</p>.<p>Officially, the death toll is nearing 300,000. But many experts say the true figure could be three or four times higher -- and maybe more.</p>.<p>Hundreds of bodies have been dumped in rivers or buried in shallow graves.</p>.<p>Barely three per cent of people are fully vaccinated. <br /><br /><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/govt-asks-social-media-firms-to-remove-contents-referring-to-indian-variant-of-coronavirus-988647.html" target="_blank">Govt asks social media firms to remove contents referring to ‘Indian variant’ of coronavirus</a></strong></p>.<p>India's top virologist recently quit a scientific advisory panel after criticising the government's "stubborn resistance to evidence-based policymaking".</p>.<p>In early 2021 it appeared India might have overcome the pandemic.</p>.<p>India has "saved the world from disaster by bringing the situation under control," Modi said on January 28.</p>.<p>Huge political rallies for a string of elections and mass religious gatherings went ahead, including the Kumbh Mela with millions of mostly maskless pilgrims.</p>.<p>The authorities did little to prepare for another wave of infections, critics say. Oxygen production was not increased and field hospitals were dismantled.</p>.<p>Two recent surveys, Twitter hashtags like #Modiresign and a barrage of anecdotal evidence strongly suggest so. <br /><br /><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/bjp-in-meeting-spree-after-missing-in-action-charge-from-opposition-988457.html" target="_blank">BJP in meeting spree after 'missing in action' charge from Opposition</a></strong></p>.<p>Emblematic for many is the fact that all the while work has continued on a grandiose revamp of the Indian parliament area.</p>.<p>"(Bodies) are literally floating in the river Ganga," said student Oindrila Ghosh, 19.</p>.<p>"Why is the government prioritising this (project) more than the health and safety of the public?"</p>.<p>Some rank-and-file supporters of Modi's Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) are unhappy.</p>.<p>The government "made a terrible mistake by not planning for a Covid-19 second wave disaster," Amit, 38, a self-declared "hard-core" BJP supporter told AFP. <br /><br /><strong>Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/covid-19-time-for-pm-modi-to-act-instead-of-giving-speeches-advice-says-congress-988587.html" target="_blank">Covid-19: Time for PM Modi to act instead of giving speeches, advice, says Congress</a></strong></p>.<p>"This will make people like me not vote in the next election for the BJP, or any party."</p>.<p>Shailja Jain, 28, said since voting for Modi in 2019 her support had already taken a hit from the BJP's "fascist, communal, casteist, hyper-capitalist agenda".</p>.<p>"But their handling of the Covid-19 pandemic was the absolute last straw," the chartered accountant told AFP.</p>.<p>Helped by its social media army, the BJP has gone on the offensive, blaming state governments and others for ignoring what it says were Modi's repeated warnings of a second wave.</p>.<p>This week the BJP released a "toolkit" purportedly compiled by the opposition Congress party aimed at "spreading fake, negative news and stirring up discontent". </p>.<p>Congress called it bogus and Twitter labelled a tweet by the BJP's national spokesman featuring screenshots of the alleged masterplan as "manipulated media".</p>.<p>The BJP failed to win the state election in West Bengal and did poorly in some constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.</p>.<p>Some attribute this to Modi's handling of the pandemic.</p>.<p>But local issues were big in these elections, and the BJP did well in Assam and Puducherry and made substantial gains in West Bengal despite failing to clinch the state.</p>.<p>Nationally, the only real rival is the ailing Congress, and the next general election isn't scheduled till 2024.</p>.<p>"The Congress has completely collapsed everywhere," said Kanchan Gupta from the Observer Research Foundation.</p>.<p>"Once initial anger subsides, people (will) start looking at things more rationally," Gupta told AFP.</p>.<p>Michael Kugelman from the Wilson Centre said the current situation "will be forgotten soon enough".</p>.<p>This is the case even if the pandemic continues.</p>.<p>"Modi is likely to go into the next election from a position of strength -- no matter how the pandemic plays out," he told AFP.</p>.<p>But Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a contributor to the Indian Express daily, is not so sure.</p>.<p>"This crisis is so personal to most people, it's not an abstract crisis. It's not happening to other people, it's happening everywhere," he told AFP.</p>