NEW DELHI, March 29 - Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday sought the nation�s forgiveness for imposing a monumental lockdown on the country, saying it was a question of life and death, and he expressed confidence that �we will definitely win the battle� against the coronavirus menace that has claimed 25 lives in India so far.
In his monthly �Mann ki Baat� radio address to the nation, Modi also praised the frontline workers in the fight against the virus as well as countless workers in the essential services who are ensuring the country doesn�t come to a complete standstill in the 21-day lockdown announced on March 24.
�I seek forgiveness... I strongly feel, you will forgive me. When I see my poor brothers and sisters, then I definitely feel that they would say what kind of prime minister is this who has put us in this trouble. I specially seek their forgiveness. You had to undergo problems. I understand but there is no other way out to fight the coronavirus for a country with a population of 130 crore,� he said. �But this is a battle for life and death.�
This (lockdown) was the �only way left� looking at what the world is going through, the Prime Minister said. �After all, the safety of you and your families has to be ensured. Once again, I apologise for any inconvenience, any hardship caused to you,� he said.
To drive home his point, Modi referred to an ancient Indian adage that means an illness and its scourge should be nipped in the bud because when it becomes incurable with passage of time its treatment is very difficult.
He also described as �unfortunate� incidents where some of those suspected coronavirus carriers under home quarantine are being ill-treated or ostracised by others.
�I am greatly pained to learn of these instances. This is very unfortunate. We need to understand that in the current circumstances, we need to ensure social distance, not human or emotional distance. These people are not criminals,� he said.
He pointed out that these people are merely suspected to be infected with the virus. �These people have isolated and quarantined themselves to protect other people from getting infected,� he said.
�Coronavirus is bent on killing people... therefore, entire humanity must unite and resolve to eliminate it,� he said in the address that lasted more than 30 minutes and featured his interaction with two former coronavirus patients and two doctors.
In a stern warning to those not following rules during the 21-day lockdown, the Prime Minister said no one wants to overstep the law and break rules wilfully. �But there are some who are doing so, since they are not trying to understand the gravity of the matter. To them I will say that if they don�t comply with the lockdown rule, it will be difficult to save ourselves from the scourge of coronavirus,� he said.
�The world over, many people nursed this delusion (that they will not be affected by coronavirus)... All of them are regretting now... Those breaking the rules are playing with their lives,� he said.
Modi also referred to �daily life heroes� who are helping people run their daily lives smoothly. These include plumbers, electricians, grocery shop owners, e-commerce delivery personnel and those maintaining telecom and internet services.
He said India has been able to fight a battle on such a massive scale, only due to the zeal and grit of frontline warriors such as doctor, nurses, para-medic personnel, Asha and Anganwadi workers and sanitation staff. � PTI
