Anti-Bharat forces can take advantage of Covid crisis, be cautious, says RSS general secretary

RSS Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale also requested all sections of the society, including the media, to ‘contribute in maintaining an atmosphere of positivity, hope and trust’.

Dattatreya Hosabale, the RSS general secretary in Bengaluru | Rohini Swamy | ThePrint

New Delhi: Stating that the Covid-19 pandemic has posed a “formidable” challenge to India, RSS Sarkaryavah (general secretary) Dattatreya Hosabale Saturday said that “destructive and anti-Bharat forces” can take advantage of the adverse circumstances.

“Although the situation is critical, yet the strength of the society is also enormous. Our capability to meet the most trying crisis is well-known across the world,” said Hosabale in a statement. 

“It is also possible that destructive and anti-Bharat forces in the society can take advantage of these adverse circumstances to create an atmosphere of negativity and mistrust in the country. The countrymen, apart from their positive efforts to resolve the situation, should also be cautious of the conspiracies of these destructive forces,” he added.

Hosabale also requested all sections of the society, including the media, to “contribute in maintaining an atmosphere of positivity, hope and trust in the society”. He said those who are active on social media should play a positive role and be “more restraint and vigilant”.

Reached for comment, an RSS functionary told ThePrint they have been trying to provide relief to those in need by arranging medicines, hospital beds, and food, among others.

Need to maintain peace to overcome crisis

Hosabale, in his statement, offered condolences to the “hundreds of families (who) have lost their near and dear ones” due to Covid-19. 

“Due to sudden worsening of the pandemic, the people are facing the shortage of beds, oxygen and necessary medicines in the hospitals. In a large society like Bharat, the problems often gain gigantic proportions. Extensive efforts are being made to meet these challenges by the union and state governments and also local civic bodies,” he said.

“Putting their lives at stake, everyone in the medical field, security personnel and sanitation workers are discharging their responsibilities as they were doing before. The swayamsevaks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, as always, are also actively carrying on various types of services across the country to fulfill the needs of the society,” Hosabale added.

He further said “the general society, including many social and religious institutions, recognising the seriousness of the challenge, have voluntarily involved themselves in all kinds efforts to bring succour”.

Hosabale said that though the situation is “critical”, there is a need to maintain peace to overcome the situation.

‘Important to create awareness about wearing masks’

Apart from exhorting swayamsevaks, the RSS has appealed to social, religious, service institutions and people from the field of commerce and industry to come forward and mitigate the current crisis.

Hosabale further said that it is important to create awareness about wearing masks, hygiene, physical distance, limit to numbers in private and public programmes, regulations like curfew, and on health remedies like taking ayurvedic Kadha, inhaling steam and vaccination.

(Edited by Debalina Dey)