As the country faces the coronavirus pandemic, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday, 26 April cautioned against forces inimical to India's interests taking advantage of the situation, exhorted all to help those affected without any discrimination and stressed on developing a self-reliant economy.
"We have to be patient and calm. There should be no fear or anger as people with anti-India mindset can use it against the country," he said in an online address to workers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Even if someone did something wrong, do not consider everyone guilty. Some people want to misuse it, the RSS chief said in an apparent reference to incidents involving Tablighi Jamaat members after it centre in Delhi emerged as a major coronavirus hotspot.
Asking the Sangh workers to serve people without any discrimination , he said those in need of help “are our own”.
"It is our duty to help in this time of crisis. All 130 crore Indians are our own," he said.
Underlining that RSS is active during lockdown in the shape of relief activities, Sangh chief said, “We should continue the relief work till the threat of this pandemic completely ends”.
Bhagwat said India handled this pandemic effectively as government and people responded proactively to the crisis.
He said a new model of development which makes the country self-reliant has to be evolved.
People should use 'swadeshi' (indigenous) goods as far as possible, he said.
‘What was the Police Doing?’: Bhagwat on Palghar Lynching
Bhagwat on Sunday slammed the Palghar lynching in which two sadhus were killed, saying there is no place for violence in society.
It was the responsibility of the administration to keep law and order in check, Bhagwat said.
"Sanyasis (saints) who pray for the well-being of humanity were brutally killed in Palghar. What was the police doing? Such an incident should not have happened," he said.
The sadhus were messengers of humanity and were following the religion they believed in, he said.
Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha has appealed for offering tributes to the two saints on 28 April, Bhagwat said. "The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has also laid out a programme for the same. We will all join in offering our tribute to them," he added.
Community leaders should tell people not to be angry and get misled, he said. There are anti-India forces who are waiting to use this to break the country, he added.
The two sadhus and their driver were lynched on 16 April in Palghar district while they were on their way to a funeral in neighbouring Silvassa.
Amid politics over the lynching, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh later said there was no Muslim among the 101 persons arrested in connection with the incident.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)