Two Left parties slammed the BJP for allegedly propagating the narrative of “criminalisation and “communalisation” of the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Nizammuddin, which has emerged as the hotspot of COVID-19.
CPI general secretary D. Raja said, “There is an attempt to make even the fight against Coronavirus into a Hindu-Muslim issue. It began with re-telecast of Ramayana and Mahabharata and now singling out one community for the spread of the virus. A health calamity of gigantic proportions should not be reduced into a communal issue.”
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Mr. Raja urged the government to increase the testing facilities and making it far less restrictive to assess the actual spread of the virus. “This is a humanitarian disaster and not a time to rake up religion in it,” he said.
The CPI(ML) said the government was trying to divert people’s attention from its by drawing the Hindu-Muslim binary. “It is clear that the Central government had the power and responsibility to screen foreign visitors into the country for the virus, and also to issue clear advisories prohibiting large gatherings. It failed to do so,” it said in a statement here.
Till mid-March, the Centre was denying that COVID-19 represented a health emergency and accusing the Opposition politicians raising concern over the virus of “panicmongering.” Instead of regulating crowds, the BJP was busy promoting the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump and warnings by Opposition leaders in early February were ignored, the party alleged.
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The CPI(ML) also slammed the Delhi government’s decision to file criminal charges against the Tablighi Jamaat for the gathering. “In fact the gathering was held with the approval and cooperation of the Delhi Police [which comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs] and the concerned SDM [Sub-Divisional Magistrate] office, which falls under the Delhi government. If the gathering was illegal, why did the Delhi government not issue an order stopping it at the time”, it asked.
