The pandemic and governance deficit May 17, 2021, 4:03 PM IST A veteran paratrooper and consultant with the Observer Research Foundation, Deepak writes on matters of military and broader security concerns. His blog Para Phrase will seek to unravel issues in the security domain without fear or favour, mainly from a military perspective. LESS... MORE In boxing, the potent 1-2-3 combination is what normally lands opponents on the floor, so, it should really come as no surprise that Mr. Modi appears to have been rendered hors de combat after he got hit by a triple whammy. First, the Chinese jab in Ladakh, then the straight left in Bengal followed in quick succession by the Covid hook that seems to have truly laid him low. So where does that leave us now, at this critical juncture, when we could do with some really inspiring leadership? The latter is not just a rhetorical question, because while the present set of politicians at both the Centre and State have much to answer for, and truly deserve not an iota of our sympathy, it is doubtful if any other political dispensation in their place would have done any better.