GO 169 Pro-Muslim, Should Be Withdrawn Immediately: BJP

MP and Telangana BJP President Bandi Sanjay Kumar today said that it was strange that the GO 169 of the Telangana government issuing guidelines for handling the bodies of those dead from the novel coronavirus mentioned Hindus and Christians but did not have the word "Muslim" in it, especially given that the community in India affected most by the novel coronavirus was that of the Muslims.

He also said that it was against Hindu traditions to allow only five people for the performance of the last rites, and that the GO hurt the sentiments of the Hindus.

He wanted to know if the GO was drafted with or without the knowledge of KCR, and said that if it was the latter case, then the officials who drafted the GO should be fired immediately, and legal proceedings initiated against them for their religious bias.

He also demanded that the state government immediately withdraw the GO, and instead give guidelines to the Hindus on how to maintain hygiene and social distancing precautions when performing the last rites of a loved one rather than restrict attendance at the ceremonies to perform the last rites.

Taking a broadside against a favourite bete noire, he asked Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi to focus on convincing Muslims who had returned from the Delhi Tablighi Jammat meeting to turn themselves in instead of trying to take swipes against the PM.

He also asked the MP what the MIM had done for the corona positive patients, and claimed that Owaisi was turning his hospital into an isolation ward only due to the pressure from the MIM.