Mumbai/Chennai, Apr 4 () Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said there is another virus of "divisiveness" apart from the coronavirus as he and his Tamil Nadu counterpart K Palaniswami appealed against giving communal colour to the spread of this viral infection in the country.
The appeal by Thackeray and Palaniswamy came on a day when their Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath alleged that the "intentional violation of social distancing norms or spreading of chaos", despite the lockdown, is part of a well planned conspiracy by people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month.
The event in Nizamuddin West area has become a major hotpot for the spread of COVID-19 with the Centre saying at least 1,023 of the nearly 3,200 confirmed cases of infection in the country have been found to be linked to just "one place", a reference to the congregation.
Himachal Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajeev Bindal alleged that Tablighi Jamaat members are moving like "human bombs" to thwart efforts by the country to curb the spread of coronavirus which has accounted for nearly 100 deaths.
"The Centre and state governments are leaving no stone unturned in the decisive fight against the COVID-19 but some people including Tablighi Jamaat members are moving like human bombs to thwart their efforts," he said in a statement.
In a webcast, Chief Minister Thackeray, the Shiv Sena supremo, also warned of strict action against people who spread communally divisive messages on social media, in an apparent reference to hateful messages beingspread on social media against a minority community.
"There is another virus of divisiveness apart from the coronavirus. I warn such people that I will ensure that no law will save you (for indulging in such acts)," he said.
Chief Minister Palaniswami appealed against giving communal colour to the spread of the contagion and requested people to avoid religious congregations and strictly maintain social distancing.
The chief minister also urged all sections of people tostrictly abide by the new regulations and warned of "stringentlegal action" against those violating the government directives.
Further, coronavirus would infect humans irrespectiveof caste and religion and it could affect anyone, he said.
"People should avoid giving communal colour to this(virus) and should not show hatred to those affected by it,"he said in a statement.
Chief Minister Adityanath said people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi should be "caught" and their mobile phones seized to examine call details.
The BJP leader alleged that the "intentional violation of social distancing norms or spreading of chaos", despite the lockdown, is part of a well planned conspiracy, the UP government said in a statement in Lucknow quoting him as having said at an official meeting.
"Be very strict with such people. Those who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat event should be caught. Seize their mobile phones and check their call details. Examine their belongings and if anything suspicious is found, seize it. Pay special attention to the cleanliness and sanitisation of the places where such people are staying," Adityanath directed members of 'Team-11'.
The team has 11 senior officials as its members and was constituted by Adityanath following the outbreak of COVID-19.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray, meanwhile, said the Tablighi Jamaat members who allegedly misbehaved with women medical staff during quarantine and are engaged in "some conspiracy" be killed by firing bullets.
He also questioned the need for giving medical treatment to such people.
Speaking about harassment being faced by police and medical personnel, Thackeray said, "We can see the police being attacked and abused when they try to control the situation".
"The meeting (of Tablighis had taken place) at Markaz in Delhi. Such people be killed by firing bullets at them. Why give them treatment? A separate section be created and their treatment be stopped," Thackeray told reporters in Mumbai.
"If they think that their religion is bigger than the country and want to engage in some conspiracy..."
A few Tablighi Jamaat members quarantined at a hospital in Ghaziabad early this week allegedly misbehaved with the nurses, making lewd remarks and dropping their pants, prompting the UP government to take a decision tyo invoke the stringent National Security Act(NSA) against them.
Similar reports of Jamaat members admitted to a hospital in Kanpur refusing to take medicines and allegedly misbehaving with the medical staff surfaced on Saturday, prompting authorities to remove fthe emale staffers from the medical facility. MR SA ENM NAV DJI GSN GSNGSN