Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has appealed to the people not to attribute motives to the participation of their brethren in the religious congregation at Nizamuddin.
In a televised address to the people on Saturday evening, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said it was time to make a collective effort to check the spread of COVID-19 without viewing one another with suspicion as the virus knew no boundaries and faiths.
The Chief Minister pointed out that people taking part in any religious event could contract the virus, and their mingling with the masses should not be doubted as having a bad intention.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said several foreigners were among the gathering at Nizamuddin, and people belonging to Andhra Pradesh had contracted the infection there. “To say that the returnees have deliberately spread the virus is unfair,” the Chief Minister said.
Spiritual leaders such as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Matha Amritanandamayi, Paul Dinakaran, and John Wesley had tremendous following around the world, and people would converge at the events organised by them.
“Therefore, no one should consider the participation in religious programmes as committing an offence lest communal hatred should spread at this critical juncture,” he observed.
Message of unity
“We should all send the message of unity and express our resolve to fight coronavirus, which neither differentiates between countries nor individuals of diverse faiths,” the Chief Minister said, emphasising the need to do what Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted on April 5 – lighting candles or oil lamps, or flashing cellphone torch lights as a mark of solidarity in the war against COVID-19.
