Political rally venues must be safe, no? | Economic Times

Many students scheduled to sit – keeping do gaaz duri — for their board exams are delighted by the decision taken by the exam gods. After all, who doesn’t like exams being postponed. Answer: the other lot, who want to take their exams. But for this latter lot, there is hope. Being a non-voting minor may be a drag. But taking exams in the safe spots that are political rally venues must be a solution. Irrespective of party affiliations, election rally grounds for states conducting polls — or, by extension, political party offices — are bound to be Covid-safe. Why else would political leaders want people to gather there, with or without Covid protocols like mask-wearing and social distancing? As for states that don’t have polls currently, surely, by sheer association with one’s party of choice one can be Covid-resilient, no matter whether one is old enough to jab for the party or not. The prime minister has, indeed, suggested that the ongoing Kumbh Mela should now be symbolic — as in, the congregation should be stopped because of the pandemic. For those upset about not being able to take a holy dip, might we suggest —as we suggest here with students upset about not being able to sit for exams — ‘Go to election rally sites, beta. Those are safe zones. SARS-CoV-2 won’t dare enter there. The authorities have told it to stay away. May we add: best of luck.