Thread by @naukarshah

Dear PM @narendramodi, yoga wake up from yoga nidra. Yoga freshen up, and Yogaing to bring your ass here in 30 mins for the morning briefing. Yogatt it? 1/n

Woah woah.. so many people are upset that I asked you to bring your ass to the meeting.

But who else was gonna bring your ass if not you.

I mean it is not like your brain that you can keep it in Nagpur. Btw, they are a bit upset about the way you are dealing with all this. 2/n

Btw, before the briefing two crucial points.

Stop playing with that stuffed crocodile toy all the time. I get worried when you start talking to that toy like it is alive.

Also watch yogarth. For now we have put Sheru's head to Tiger shroff body and shared as your Yoga pic 3/n

Okay. Let's start. Many things to discuss. But first, that Tablighi thing. Of course stupidity.

And no point defending that colossal stupidity with gigantic whataboutery.

But let me tell you why it is dangerous to use it to generalise and target a community as a whole. 4/n

I mean, some people defend it by saying what if the stupidity of that person, who claims to be a singer, who is getting tested repeatedly for nth time like testing is the cure, is used to target a community as a whole and all.

Nah.., that's not the reason I say. 5/n

As always we have to be practical about it.

Already you have been successful in instiling so much fear that most people with symptoms are afraid of its potential treatment than the disease. They see quarantine and read guillotine.

Of course no. It is not all our fault. 6/n

Somehow we have made it criminal to be a patient now.

And when society treats a patient like a criminal, the patient starts behaving like a criminal.

He is afraid of the system and starts to hide, lie and avoid. 7/n

Just today I met a safai karmachari who was sneezing. I asked her is she okay. And she replied corona nahi hai saab.

I asked her why don't you get yourself checked, and she says, arre sir, udhar jaaye toh seedhe pakadke le jaate hai. Admit karate hai fir.

She is afraid. 8/n

Most people get defensive even to just cough now. It is not like people were not coughing before corona.

The poor among us, of any community, are generally afraid of the system. They fear everyone. The police, the municipality, the patwari.. And now the healthcare workers! 9/n

No no. I am not saying we have to change that fear. Fear definitely helps us to rule with an iron fist and a crocodile toy.

But just during this disaster, we need to make it attractive for people to come on their own to get tested or at least get screened. 10/n

And that is where vilifying a community becomes dangerous.

No No. I am not asking you to not use it during next elections. Of course we can.

But during the crisis, it is in the interest of even our hardcore supporters to not make it more of a stigma than it already is. 11/n

Related to that, but on a larger scale, we need to discuss on our messaging.

From prevention is cure, it is slowly going to denial is cure.

Because we initially said 80% of people with corona will have mild symptoms and might not even require any medical intervention. 12/n

That means if I have corona, there is 80% chance that I might not need any treatment & will be fine.

But if I go to a hospital, get myself tested, & if I am positive, then 100% I will be quarantined.

Plus everyone in my society would start looking at me like a criminal. 13/n

Along with this, the messaging that corona has no cure thing.

Both combined wrongly translates to a person that if you have corona, either you will have mild symptoms and do not require a treatment and if you need, anyway there is no cure. So what is the point! 14/n

But the fact that is that we don't have cure for most viruses. Not just corona.

Now that does not mean there is no treatment. Symptoms are treated for, and it matters a lot in helping a person recover.

So timely testing and treatment is important. 15/n

Hence we may add that to our core messaging.

Because the earlier they get tested and treated for their own good, the lesser the chance of a local spread.

What is best for you is also best for the society.

Make being selfish also altruistic? 16/16