Former India cricketer and now BJP MP Gautam Gambhir has called his countrymen to stay united and follow the government’s guidelines in these trying times of Coronavirus pandemic. "We can only win this war if we stand together and the most important thing is to follow the guidelines," Gambhir said.
"If we have been asked to stay at home and not leave our house at any circumstance then it's really important for us to follow this, as it is for the betterment of our nation," he added while requesting people to stay indoors and maintain social distancing.
Gautam Gambhir supports PM Narendra Modi’s decision to extend COVID-19 lockdown
India has confirmed 12,380 cases of COVID-19 with 414 deaths and 1489 recoveries. Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu are some of the worst-hit states in the country with Maharashtra’s total positive case number going above 3,000.
The 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 World Cup-winning cricketer also urged the people of India to donate to the good cause of helping out the poor and needy in such times. "Since we were talking about donations, according to me there's no limit, if a person gives one rupee with the right emotion, it's a very big contribution," he said.
Gambhir, who is also a BJP MP from East Delhi, has donated Rs one crore to the Delhi Government for the procurement of medical equipment and treatment of COVID-19 patients in the national capital.
He has also pledged to donate his two years' salary towards Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) and has already released Rs one crore out of his MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) fund towards the relief efforts.
Talking about his time at home during the lockdown, Gambhir mentioned, "I have been given a responsibility during this lockdown to maintain the plants and the lawn in our garden. But the interesting part is that I've been watering the lawn for three days, but there's still no grass growing. Just as (VVS) Laxman does not listen to me, so also does this grass not listen to me.”
(IANS inputs)
