Tablighi Jamaat could have called off the event: RSS

Joint general secretary Manmohan Vaidya said all RSS programmes scheduled till June, including Sangh Shiksha vargs (annual training programmes for its workers) are cancelled for now.

April 06, 2020 04:22 pm | Updated 04:26 pm IST - NEW DELHI

Manmohan Vaidya

Manmohan Vaidya

RSS joint general secretary Manmohan Vaidya on Monday said the Tablighi Jamaat could have responded to government orders on no public gatherings “sensibly” and that the organisation now stood exposed even among Muslims, as “figures tell the truth.”

Mr. Vaidya was referring to the spike in all India figures of COVID-19 patients due to a linkage with the Tablighi Jamaat conference in New Delhi in March and the subsequent travel of its preachers across the country.

He, however, pointed out that Muslims were helping government officials in tracing the contacts of the members of Tablighi Jamaat which, he said, should be appreciated.

The Health Ministry on Sunday said the rate of doubling of COVID-19 cases was 4.1 days, but if the cases linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event would not have happened, it would have been 7.4 days.

Mr. Vaidya lauded the government’s handling of the pandemic so far. “To tackle COVID-19 outbreak, India's leadership took some decisive steps, which got public support as well,” he said.

RSS workers helped 25.5 lakh people during the lockdown, fed the poor and daily wagers and started a helpline, he noted.

“No Pratinidhi Sabha”

Citing the RSS’s decision to call off the annual meeting of its highest decision-making body -- ‘Pratinidhi Sabha’ in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak-- he said the Tablighi Jamaat could have also called off their congregation.

“The RSS cancelled its ‘Pratinidhi Sabha’ in Bengaluru scheduled to be start from March 15. Sangh members numbering 1,500 were asked to get off trains or cancel flight tickets. Others who had reached were immediately sent back,” he said.

Mr. Vaidya announced that all RSS programmes scheduled till June, including Sangh Shiksha vargs (annual training programmes for its workers) are cancelled for now.

On the question of the economic impact of the 21-day lockdown, he stated that the first priority should be to tackle the coronavirus and save lives. He was hopeful that government would take the necessary steps to minimise the impact of the lockdown on the economy, he added.

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