Hiding illness a crime, says Yogi Adityanath on Tablighi Jamaat
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday blamed the Islamic missionary group Tablighi Jamaat for the spread of the coronavirus in the state. Adityanath said that hiding an illness like COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) is a crime. Adityanath was speaking at a digital event where CMs of three other Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states blamed the Islamic sect. Here are more details.
'Getting infected not a crime, hiding illness is'
Speaking at E-Agenda AajTak, Adityanath condemned the Tablighi Jamaat. India Today quoted him as saying, "To get a disease is not a crime. But to hide illness like COVID-19 is definitely a crime. We will take action against those who have broken the law." He said UP received over 3,000 people linked to the Tablighi Jamaat's religious conference, held in mid-March in Delhi.
'India could have controlled outbreak during first phase of lockdown'
Adityanath went on to say, "What Tablighi Jamaat did was condemnable. Had they not behaved in that manner, the country would have managed the coronavirus situation during the first phase of lockdown."
Gujarat, MP, Uttarakhand CMs also blamed Tablighi Jamaat
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also blamed members of the Tablighi Jamaat saying that they "hid their travel links." Rupani held the Islamic sect responsible for the increased number of cases in Ahmedabad, which has reported 70% of all cases in Gujarat. Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat also blamed the Tablighi Jamaat.
Modi earlier said COVID-19 shouldn't be linked to religious groups
All four states are ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP. Incidentally, Modi had said that the outbreak should not be linked to any religious group. The central government had also issued an advisory saying, "Do not label any community or area for spread of COVID-19." At the E-Agenda event, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said it is "unfair" to blame the Tablighi Jamaat.
Kejriwal argued all international visitors could also be blamed
Kejriwal argued, "Coronavirus has spread all over the world. If I say that had people not come to India from outside, coronavirus outbreak would not have happened here. It is unfair to pin the blame on one individual or group."
How bad is the COVID-19 outbreak in India?
Till Saturday night, Delhi reported 4,122 cases (61 deaths), Madhya Pradesh reported 2,788 cases (151 deaths), Uttar Pradesh reported 2,487 cases (43 deaths), and Uttarakhand reported 59 cases. In Uttarakhand, a COVID-19 patient died, however, the death has been attributed to ventricular tachycardia, secondary to ACS (acute coronary syndrome). India has reported nearly 40,000 infections and over 1,300 deaths.
