Nagpur, Apr 26: When the entire world is battling with the Coronavirus pandemic, India has the capability to turn this difficulty into an opportunity to create a New Bharat that would lead the entire world towards a new world order of peace, progress, and prosperity with a human face. Let us work in that direction, exhorted Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohanrao Bhagwat.

Delivering his online ‘Bouddhik Varg’ (address) from Nagpur on Sunday evening, the first time in the history of RSS, Bhagwat said that the entire world is confronted with the COVID-19 threat and the only treatment for this is maintain social distancing by staying inside. We must follow the rules and regulations and instructions from the government to save our society from this virus threat.

He said that the regular RSS shakhas may be out of sight but a new kind of activity Sewa activity is being undertaken by lakhs of swayamsevaks to help and reach out to those millions of countrymen suffering due to this corona calamity.

He appealed to the swayamsevaks to take all precautions as this sewa is risky involving great risks to personal safety just like the doctors, health workers, and police personnel are exposed to this risk. He said that consistent and fearless work is the only solution. While following all the rules we should maintain our own confidence without any fatigue or disillusionment, Bhagwat added.

There is no need to be afraid of this pandemic. With confidence, the balance of mind, proper planning, and consistent efforts we can win the war against the coronavirus, he said urging all to serve the needy and affected people with love and charity.

Those suffering from this pandemic are our own people; all the 130-crore people of India are our own and with this feeling of oneness, love, affection, and unity we should serve them, he said underlining the need to remain vigilant forever.

As compared to other countries of the world, India took immediate steps to impose lockdown and initiated other measures to contain the spread of the pandemic. As a result, we succeeded in arresting the spread of coronavirus to a great extent.

He made an indirect reference to Tabligh Jamaat people who were instrumental in spreading Coronavirus to over 30 percent of infections across the country but warned against labeling the entire Muslim community responsible for this. “It is wrong to blame the entire community for the wrongs committed by a handful of people”, Bhagwat said reiterating that all those born in Bharat are our own people. We should shun hatred and stay away from those instigating elements trying to use this health emergency to further their divisive agenda, he added.

Commenting on the heinous lynching of two sadhus in Maharashtra’s Palghar district on April 16 night, Bhagwat asked “What wrong did they do that warranted such lynching? Why should they take law in their hands? What the police were doing?

He said that the mob lynching of these sadhus was certainly a painful incident. The entire country would pray for the peace and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has appealed to the people to pay homage to them and pray for their eternal peace on April 28, Bhagwat said urging people to participate in that program.

He further said that the coronavirus pandemic would be over after a certain time. But it would leave some very pertinent questions to be answered. We have experienced in this lockdown some positive aspects of life such as living together in families, using swadeshi articles, and so on. This has helped in developing positive dialogue in the families.

Families are the basic unit of our society. With this opportunity to live together for a longer period, we are experiencing that the dialogue between the family members is increasing positively leading to a proper understanding of each other’s feelings and needs and requirements and it has also underlined the need to follow certain disciplines.

What will be the shape of things in the post-corona world? How will India address those challenges? Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the Sarpanchs of the nation where he underlined the developing swadeshi model, Bhagwat said we will have to develop our own model of development based on this truth bared by this corona pandemic.

In the light of these experiences, and the positive effects of lockdown on our environment can we develop a new model based on self-reliance and swadeshi, he asked. We will have to do it, there is no other alternative, he added.

Along with the government and the administration, the people will also have to play an important role in developing such a model that will bring economic prosperity along with communal harmony, social discipline, mutual cooperation, and peace. The government will also have to make the administration more society-oriented, and political parties will have to adopt policies that will promote people’s wellbeing and safeguard their interests rather than serve their political agenda.

This pandemic has come with an opportunity to rebuild our nation as a world leader, a leader of the entire humanity that would guide humanity to sustainable development, progress with a humane face, and durable peace with mutual cooperation. We need to accept this challenge and work consistently to realize it in the post-coronavirus world, he said.