india

Updated: Apr 12, 2020 00:02 IST

Andhra Pradesh deputy chief minister K Narayana Swamy on Saturday accused the members of Tablighi Jamaat of spreading the Covid-19 among others by moving freely everywhere and not cooperating with the doctors in getting treatment.

Speaking to reporters in the temple town of Tirupati, Narayana Swamy allegedly pointed out some food habits and unhygienic lifestyles of the Jamaat members, based on some videos doing the rounds on social media.

The deputy chief minister said there would not have been more than 25-26 Covid-19 positive cases in Andhra Pradesh, but for the Tablighi members who had come from Markaz and spread the disease in the state.

“I have nothing against Muslim minorities. They can pray to their god. Allah is benevolent. But they do all sorts of dirty things, do not follow hygiene in eating and do not even maintain cleanliness. Because of their habits, they brought the Corona disease to this level,” he said.

The deputy chief minister’s comments come within a week of YSR Congress party president and chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s statement defending the Tablighi Jamaat conference in Nizamuddin.

“It is not correct to pin the blame on a particular religious congregation for the spread of Covid-19 in the country, as same could happen even in any such meeting in any other religious congregation like that of Ravi Shankar or Jaggi Vasudev or Mata Amritanandamayi,” Jagan said in message through electronic media.

Narayana Swamy, however, alleged that Jamaat members were not cooperating for treatment. “They moved around shops and streets and spread the disease. I request them to cooperate with the doctors and get cured, so that it doesn’t spread to others,” he said.