Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi 9 days before came on live television to announce a 21-day lockdown in the whole country and today at 9 am in the morning he once addressed the nation. This time he asked the citizens of India to show a collective will to fight off the threat of coronavirus. He also asked the people to light candles, lamps and hold mobile torches for 9 minutes from 9 p.m. on April 5.
In an address to the nation, he said, “There is no bigger force than our conviction and resolve. There is nothing we cannot achieve with these forces.”
Mr. Modi emphasised on the fact that the coronavirus threat could only be combated with the full cooperation of people, and that the collective strength was what would take the country out of what he termed “darkness that engulfs us” in the form of coronavirus.
He brought into light the poor of the country who are in serious plight in these economy worsening conditions. “We have to take our poor bretheren towards the light and certainty. To defeat this darkness, we have to shine the light in every direction,” he said.
Mr. Modi acknowledged the fact that lockdown period can cause frustation and anxiety but assured people that “we, none of us, are alone” and that the “collective will of 1.3 billion people of India was with us in this time of crisis.”
Last time when Mr. Modi asked the people to applaud the efforts of medical workers, incidents of mass gatherings took place at several locations. To make sure this doesn’t happen once again, he said “Either stay at your doors, on your balcony etc, but please do not cross the ‘Laxman Rekha’ of your home,” he said. “Social distancing is the only Ram Baan [weapon] we have to combat coronavirus,” he pointed out.
