<span style="color: #222222;">Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Dr Jitendra Singh today called for a united fight against COVID-19 saying it is time to rise above politics  in the larger interest of mankind. In an exclusive media interview, Dr Singh expressed disappointment at the fact that many of the opposition leaders as well as so-called intellectuals spend a lot of their time and energy in criticizing the government for alleged mis-management of the pandemic. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">He said, if only the same amount of time and energy were spent by them in joining hands with the administration and like-minded citizens to meet this challenge, India's fight against COVID would become far more easier. The Minister said that he has observed a recent phenomenon, wherein some kind of one -upmanship has set in among the opposition politicians as well as some media scribes to continuously run a campaign denouncing the government. He appealed to all such critics to come forward and contribute in filling up the missing gaps, if they genuinely see any.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Describing this as a trying time for all, Dr Singh said, this is not an occasion to indulge in motivated criticism for political reasons. He added that it is important to build  confidence among masses and explain to them how the pandemic is being effectively fought on a war footing in a country as vast as India with a population of over 135 crores.</span><br />''  <br />