Tablighi Jamaat can't be blamed for coronavirus spread, media communalising the issue: Owaisi

Defending the Tablighi Jamaat that is being blamed for holding a congregation despite a ban by the government on any public gathering, Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday said that a section of media is giving the raging coronavirus crisis a "communal" angle.

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

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

"In Telangana, around six people have died, and the Chief Minister himself has told they attended the Tablighi Jamaat event. All the people who attended the Nizamuddin Markaz are cooperating with the government in Telangana as well as Andhra Pradesh. We are constantly in touch and they are cooperating with the government," the Hyderabad MP said.

He further said, "People must understand that the event at Markaz Nizamuddin was conducted from March 13 to 15, the fact is on March 13, Health Minister had stated that coronavirus is not a health scare. On March 19 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."

"COVID-19 started 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 did not blame the football match. Am I the one who should be blamed? I condemn the act that media is connecting it with religion, the corona is a pandemic, it is a plague," the AIMIM chief said.