PM Modi makes 5 requests to BJP workers; gratitude, masks, Aarogya Setu are among them

Among his first request for the party’s workers was to provide the poor with food and not just for the duration of the present crisis. The Prime Minister said it should be a continuous service to the poor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday put in five requests to his colleagues in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is marking its 40th foundation day, to help strengthen India’s war against the coronavirus pandemic.

Modi said the BJP’s president JP Nadda and the party’s national team has already set the template as he made the panchagraha or the five requests through a video address.

“I am just repeating them in my own words and it applies to all of us including me. We all must follow these suggestions by the party which have the feeling of Antodaya as well as the firm resolve of service at their core,” he said.

Among his first request for the party’s workers was to provide the poor with food and not just for the duration of the present crisis. The Prime Minister said it should be a continuous service to the poor.

“Ever since this crisis has started, lakhs of the BJP’s workers have been doing this but it needs to be expanded into a bigger campaign by taking along other organisations to ensure no one is left hungry. We have to make sure of this,” he said.

The Prime Minister’s second request was about masks.

“When you are going to help someone else, you should always wear something to cover your face. It is not necessary to wear only those masks that are being used but healthcare workers. We can use any mask made at home and make it a practice to wear it,” the PM said.

He also urged party workers to make masks for five other people in their family and distribute them among others.

“In this difficult time, we need to express our gratitude, thank those who are involved in serving the people and boost their morale. And this is not just our responsibility and we need to mobilise the entire society,” he said.

His third request, Modi said, was connected with the ‘thank you campaign’.

“The party has given a broad template to carry out this campaign that we need to ask families to write a letter of appreciation for five different sections of workers and reach out to them in polling booths,” he said.

They are doctors and nurses in their areas, sanitation workers, police personnel, bank and post office workers and other government employees engaged in carrying out essential services.

He also encouraged workers to inform people about and download Aarogya Setu, a mobile application that has been developed to fight the coronavirus disease, and said it can play an important role in curbing infection in the long term.

“The more successful we are at doing this, the better we will be able to control the spread of the infection. You must be able to persuade at least 40 people to install this Aarogya Setu app and tell them about this,” he said.

There’s another thing that has to be done, he said, to fight this battle against coronavirus pandemic.

“Financial service is a big thing. We have seen that when the country is at war, our mother and sisters give away their jewellery. The poor give away whatever that can. We have seen this during every war,” he said.

“This is no less than a war… Just as we contribute during wars and make a tradition out of it, right now lakhs of people are donating towards the PM-CARES fund,” he said.

The Prime Minister said his fifth request was for workers to make an effort to make sure the donations being made for the PM-CARES fund increase.

“Every BJP workers must help. We need to motivate 40 people to donate towards the fund as well,” the PM said.

As he ended his address he stressed on the usage of masks, discipline and social distancing to make sure everyone is safe in the fight against the coronavirus disease.