India, Oct. 13 -- Some political parties have an extraordinary ability to sense an opportunity in a tragedy-whether human-made or caused by a natural disaster. They attempt to make political capital out of such misfortunes. This role is often played by opposition parties and sometimes even the ruling party.

Whenever a human tragedy occurs, ruling parties generally tend to shy away from responsibility and accountability. At times, accurate information is withheld, and distorted data is shared with the media. For example, the Uttar Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, initially acknowledged 30 deaths in the stampede during the Maha Kumbh Mela. Weeks later, Adityanath admitted in the state assembly that the actual toll...