DW BUREAU / Chandigarh Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has written an open letter to the people of the state urging them to join hands in the fight against the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Hooda said there is a provision in democracy to punish the failures of the government and people should remember their sufferings when the time comes, referring to elections. "I appeal that at least in this hour of crisis, all artificial and selfish walls should be demolished which were created by the politics of the British on the basis of politics, religion, caste, class, region etc. Death does not recognise or leave anyone on the basis of these things," he wrote in the letter dated May 19. Hooda, who is leader of the opposition in the Haryana assembly, stressed that it was time to join hands and collectively fight the pandemic. There is no use of criticising and accusing anyone. Leave it temporarily and wait till normalcy returns, Hooda said. "There is a provision in democracy to punish the failures of the government ? remember the sufferings at that time," said the former chief minister. He drew upon his experiences of coming from a rural background and living in a city to suggest how people could work together. "I request you to form committees of 8-10 samaj sevis (social workers) in the wards of towns and villages and in village panchayats, which should help in conducting house-to-house testing of all people," he said. We should seek cooperation from the government, social organisations and all individuals to fulfill the needs of the affected people be it money for treatment or medicines, the Congress leader said. These committees should send status reports to the government regarding the number of infected people in their area, availability of medical facilities including requirement of medicines and oxygen, and the number of deaths due to COVID-19, he said. Hooda said this will help the government in arranging proper medical help. "These committees should also ensure that no person and not even animals remain without food," he said. He said patience, courage, strength, and warmth are the specialties of Haryana. "These are our weapons at this time. My request to all brothers and sisters is that we should provide every help to the government and society and should also seek help from social organisations," said Hooda. (editor@dailyworld.in)