By Express News Service

MUMBAI: Alluding to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month, which became India’s super spreader of the deadly coronavirus, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday asked people not to harbour ill-will against an entire community for the mistakes committed by a few individuals. He urged all people to help the affected persons without any discrimination.

In his online address from Nagpur during the ongoing lockdown to mark Akshay Tritiya, he said: “All 130 crore Indians are our family. We are one.

”Without naming the Tablighi Jamaat, Bhagwat said, “We should not blame the entire community for the mistakes of a few individuals. People who are more mature in both communities should come forward and start a dialogue to remove prejudices among people’s minds.”

Commenting on the Palghar incident in Maharashtra earlier this month, the RSS chief indirectly blamed the police and the attackers for the lynching of two saints.

“The villagers should not have taken the law into their own hands. Both saints were innocent. Let us keep aside statements by different sides and think whether it is right to kill innocent people,” he said.

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Pointing out that there were some people who always incite violence, he said: “We should keep distance from these violence-inciting people. They are experts at doing so. It is their strategy to divide society and ignite violence. We as alert and matured citizens should maintain distance from such elements.”

Bhagwat urged people to follow all public health restrictions to contain the spread of the coronavirus. He also had words of praise for the government, saying that India’s timely action had kept the spread of the virus under check as compared to other countries.

“The RSS itself is involved in a massive countrywide effort to help people tide over the problems. More than three lakh dedicated volunteers are working at more than 55,000 locations across the country. The RSS, through its network, distributed over 33 lakh ration kits and two crore food packets till April 24. We have to work for others without taking any credit,” he said. Bhagwat also advocated the Swadeshi model of economics for the post-coronavirus phase to make the country self-reliant.