Government, People became negligent after first COVID wave: RSS chief

New Delhi:Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday indirectly criticised the centre government for its poor management of second wave of COVID in the country. He also urged people to stay positive and proactive to fight the pandemic.

"We are facing this situation because, whether it was the government, administration or public, everyone dropped their guard (hum sab guflat mein aa gaye) after the first wave despite indications from doctors,he said while addressing a lecture series 'Positivity Unlimited'.

Bhagwat said the country should stay united and work as a team in these testing times, instead of pointing fingers at each other.

The remarks made by the head of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the ruling BJP, assume significance as the government has been maintaining that it followed all protocols during the pandemic.

In February this year after the cases had dropped, the BJP had passed a resolution praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his leadership amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Bhagwat said there is talk of a third wave. But we will not be scared. We shall stand like a rock. We have to stay positive and take precautions to keep ourselves COVID negative in the present situation, he said.

The RSS chief said that this is not an appropriate time to point fingers and all should avoid making irrational remarks.

Meanwhile, senior Sangh functionary and former general secretary of BJP Ram Madhav suggested that government should be more transparent and open in its handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

"A little more transparency, a little more engagement with the public by the political leadership and a little more openness to constructive criticism and enlightened expert opinion from outside the government would further help the government's efforts. After all, the lives of millions of people are at stake," he wrote in an article written in an English day