This is my observation from the start of the second wave. The media is denying NDA space; somewhat similar to what happened to Trump. And a timid guy like Sudhanshu Trivedi doesn't help either. Sambit Patra was decent.
The only thing that can be done is put them on existential threat i.e. if you cross the line you are doomed. Otherwise, the media will act like vultures.
English media and SM is largely irrelevant in India. They are also never going to be Modi friendly.
Hindi and regional media is what matters. Problem is they tend to be under the control of state governments.
With an adversarial US government, money poring in, media is going to be very difficult for BJP to manage.
They need to find an alternate route and quick.
There is no sugar coating this. The centre has failed India. No amount of spin can change that. They are not the only ones though. The states have all failed too. Big ones, badly! Delhi, absolutely and totally.
People are the worst offenders themselves but this is India, absolutely no personal responsibility whatsoever, which meant that the rules needed to be stricter. Unfortunately, all this is water under the bridge now and we are facing a terrible situation. We can only hope and pray. There is very little the centre or states can do now, maybe a complete lockdown but that brings with it other problems. Absent that, we just have to pray.
Nothing could have prevented this wave. Come November, with cases down significantly, there was no reason for the government to keep lockdowns or controls. Even if they did, people would have revolted.
If government tried to enforce high handedly, the courts would have reprimanded them.
Besides, the center could have given all the strick orders it wanted to, it was upto states to implement them. There you have the utterly incompetent state administrations which were demonising vaccines.
All the center could have done better was start vaccination earlier, placed a larger order and stocked up on oxygen, ventilators, drugs etc.
Apart from that its Indian nature, we want rights without responsibility. Even now you have morons having marriages and then getting sick and cursing the government. Frankly, they deserve what's coming to them.
The problem is people thought this was a one time things and it got over late last year. They didn't want to beleive there would be other waves.
Now deal with it. The center has some blame but mostly it's people themselves and state governments for most part.