Madhya Pradesh: Prior to the lockdown to contain the coronavirus, Congress faced a huge setback in Madhya Pradesh where the state’s party icon Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP. However, with the selective targeting of the Tablighi Jamaat’s Markaz gathering in mid-March, the Congress party spokesperson Abbas Hafeez recently defended the Islamic missionary organization. With many members of the group under quarantine, the government has only been singling out the Tablighi Jamaat.
Without focusing on the selective nature of the ruling dispensation’s party during his defence, Hafeez instead lambasted the BJP for going into an unplanned lockdown. That too, while the party was busy toppling the Congress government in MP rather than taking preventative measures.
He stated “Kejriwal and Modi are playing communal politics during this pandemic to hide their own shortcomings.” He added that no attendee tested positive. Hafeez also stated that no one was tested positive by citing a Dr. Sadab who claimed that despite people showing COVID symptoms, no one tested positive.
The BJP responded by asking Congress to issue a statement condemning Abbas. Although as of now, the party has not done so even as certain temples around the country continue to defy the lockdown with many attendees coming to worship.