Hyderabad: Opposition BJP in Telangana on Wednesday hit out at the TRS government over alleged lockdown violations and accused it of appeasing the minority while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic “under pressure” from AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
Newly appointed BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar claimed that people were moving on roads in the Old City area after Ramzaan started and the government was not doing enough testing in a bid to show lower number of positive cases. He alleged that the state government is hiding the number of COVID-19 positive cases to provide “facilities” to the Muslims amid Ramzan and tests are also not being conducted in the State.
In his first media interaction after assuming charge of the post, Kumar said common people cooperated by not celebrating festivals such as Telugu new year Ugadi, Sri Rama Navami and the birth anniversaries of Babasaheb Ambedkar among others thinking government would treat all citizens alike.
But the TRS government “is behaving in a manner of appeasing the minorities,” he told reporters here, referring to a decision not to collect samples from bodies of suspected COVID-19 patients.
“Everything is happening due to Ramzan, as per the plan CM KCR to provide all kinds of facilities to Muslims and to ensure they don’t face any problem, all this is happening in the state. In the old city of Hyderabad, lockdown is not being followed,” he added.
“….it is only due to the pressure of (AIMIM president Asaduddin) Owaisi (the tests are not done). The Chief Minister is troubling others by keeping their (Muslims) inconvenience in mind,” he alleged.
He charged the government with not taking samples from bodies of COVID-19 suspects because Muslims consider Ramzan as a holy month and hope that the departed would reach the God.
On April 21, a health official had said a decision had been taken no to test samples from the bodies of those suspected to have died with symptoms of COVID-19 but follow all due protocols, including for disposal of the body and contact tracing.
We appeal to the government. There is a danger of a division in society happening because of your attitude of following appeasement minority appeasement policies and to get Owaisi’s appreciation. The state Chief Minister will have to take full responsibility for this,” Kumar, an MP, said.
Had persons like Owaisi appealed to the returnees of Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi to voluntarily cooperate with the government, the COVID-19 situation would have been controlled to some extent, he said.
Expressing happiness over the decline in COVID-19 cases in the state, he, however, maintained people were having doubts over the dip.
It is trying to show positive cases to be low by decreasing the tests. The government is not making it clear what is the reason for it, Kumar said.
Alleging that people were moving on roads in the Old City area with sizeable minority population in violation of lockdown, he said it should be checked by drone cameras.
Claiming that a fruit seller was threatened in Nizamabad for tying a saffron flag to his cart and citing such other alleged incidents, he said the Chief Minister fears saffron.
Why should the government have objection if Hindus tied flags or wore saffron robes, he asked.
He also flayed Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for not holding an all-party meet to discuss COVID-19 situation.
Dismissing criticism that the state was not testing enough, Health Minister E Rajender had on Tuesday said as per the Indian Council of Medical Research guidelines, only those symptomatic needed to be tested.