Communalising coronavirus a shameful act, says Owaisi

Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday said that a section of media is giving the raging coronavirus crisis a "communal" angle, which is shameful.

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 1 : Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday said that a section of media is giving the raging coronavirus crisis a "communal" angle, which is shameful.

Speaking to over phone Owaisi said, "I condemn that Islam is being blamed for the situation in the country now. Disease or plague has no religion, but some media outlets which blindly defend the government, BJP and Prime Minister have given coronavirus a religion."

"No Country is relating it to religion but some media outlets here are shamefully doing so. Why did the government not close Parliament that functioned till 13th March? The government has not given answers to so many people who were left like that on the roads? The migrants were suffering but they were not concerned about it," he added.

"People must understand that the event at Markaz Nizamuddin was conducted from March 13 to March 15. The fact is that on March 13, the Health Minister had stated that coronavirus is not a health scare. On March 19, the Prime Minister spoke about social distancing. Till then, all the major religious gatherings had continued in the famous temples, and now everything is being blamed on Nizamuddin Markaz.

"The coronavirus broke out in China. In Italy there was a football match conducted from where it spread. Nearly 4,000 to 5,000 people were affected, but they didn't blame the football match. Am I the one who should be blamed? I condemn the act that media is connecting it with religion. Coronavirus is a pandemic, it is a plague," the Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad said.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Owaisi said, "Whenever Prime Minister comes on air at 8 p.m., the poor find themselves in a tight spot."

In Telangana at least six people have died, and the Chief Minister himself has told they were Tablighi Jamaat participants.

"All the people who attended the Nizamuddin Markaz event are cooperating with the government, in Telangana as well as in Andhra Pradesh. We are constantly in touch and they are cooperating with the government," he added.

( With inputs from ANI )