VHP invokes divine intervention
■ Hindu body asks people to chant Vijay Mahamantra 108 times daily
To combat the Covid-19 pandemic, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has asked people to invoke divine intervention by chanting the “Vijay Mahamantra” 108 times every day at their homes. While the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh affiliates are helping the poor and the needy by providing food and assisting the people who are in distress during the ongoing national lockdown to combat the virus, the VHP has also prescribed the mantra as it feels that the “war” against the pandemic can be won “with the blessings of the paraa and aparaa (absolute and relative powers).
“Our country has been fighting the deadly coronavirus pandemic. The Central government and all state governments are taking timely necessary actions to overpower it. Divine blessings are nevertheless important in fighting such crisis. Therefore, we appeal to the entire country to invoke the intervention of divine powers in this difficult hour,” reads a statement issued by saints associated with the VHP, which also includes two members of the Supreme Court-mandated Shri Ramjanambhoomi Teerth
Kshetra trust. The RSS has deployed its volunteers to assist the Centre and state governments to assist people during the lockdown. They are engaged in services like distributing food packets, creating awareness about the virus, promoting social distancing, distributing masks and other essentials and are also running 24x7 helplines. The RSS and its affiliates have also engaged medical professionals who are helping people in need.
Meanwhile, the BJP, which had announced that its workers across the country will provide food to over five crore people in the wake of the lockdown after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal, implemented the initiative from Friday. BJP president J.P. Nadda himself distributed food among police personnel. Many BJP leaders distributed food packets and essential items, especially in slum clusters. In Punjab, the BJP has launched “roti banks” where party volunteers are reaching out to households urging them to donate food for the poor and the needy.
● THE RSS and its affiliates have engaged medical professionals who are helping people in need