Govt, people misread pandemic: RSS chief

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Saturday that both the government and the people misread the situation after the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, which resulted in complacency leading to the present situation. The country now needs to face the problem with a positive frame of mind and people should help in whatever capacity they can, he said.

Urging people not to give up, Bhagwat said just as Britain did not lose courage during World War II and withstood adverse conditions to emerge victorious, India should not lose hope and must view the pandemic as a challenge to be overcome.

To underscore the need to face the challenge with a positive frame of mind, he referred to an inscription on former British premier Winston Churchill’s seat that read: “Please understand there is no depression in this house and we are not interested in the possibilities of defeat. They do not exist.”

Delivering a lecture online, Bhagwat said, “Some people have died… they should not have died this way, untimely. But those who have passed away are in a way free and they don’t have to face it anymore… but we have to. We have to keep ourselves and our people safe and therefore we don’t need negationism. We can’t say nothing has happened, everything is alright. We are not saying that. Situation is hard and saddening, but while accepting that we are not going to allow ourselves to feel negative,” he said.