Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K Naryana Swamy on Saturday night apologised for the comments he had made earlier in the day about the Tablighi Jamaat.
Taking to Twitter, the YSRCP leader said that if some words used by him while appealing to all who had visited the Jamaat's congregation in Delhi to undergo COVID-19 tests had hurt anybody, he apologised for the same.
"I am withdrawing those remarks forthwith," he said.
కరోనా మహమ్మారి నుంచి అందరూ బయటపడాలనే ఉద్దేశ్యంతో ఢిల్లీ వెళ్లి వచ్చిన వారు మరియు వారితో కలిసి మెలిగినవారు పరీక్షలు చేయించుకుని, వైద్యం తీసుకోవాలని విజ్ఞప్తి చేస్తున్న క్రమంలో నా మాటలు ఏవైనా బాధించి ఉంటే క్షమాపణలు కోరుతున్నాను. ఆ వ్యాఖ్యలను తక్షణమే ఉపసంహరించుకుంటున్నాను.
— K Narayanaswamy - MLA (@NSwamy_MLA) April 11, 2020
Referring to some unrelated videos, Narayana Swamy had made certain remarks about the food habits of Tablighi members, drawing strong condemnation from various quarters.
Stating that Andhra Pradesh would not have had more than 26 cases of coronavirus had the Markaz event participants not 'brought it to the state', Swamy had said, "When they went to the Delhi function, they ate from one plate, didn't wash their utensils and licked their spoons, due to which they brought the virus from Delhi and left it in Andhra."
The video that the Deputy Chief Minister was referring to, was reportedly three years old and unrelated to the coronavirus and the present crisis.
"I don't have any problem with Muslims or minorities, but at least to save their own lives, they should cooperate with governments now. Pray to Allah. He is your god. But if they test positive, they are not cooperating with doctors," the YSRCP leader added, asking them to listen to medical advice.
So Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra, K Narayana Swamy falls for a 3 year old video of Dawoodi Bhora Muslims which was circulated on WhatsApp with a claim as Tablig Jamat licking Utensils. pic.twitter.com/VEr5aIamYT
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) April 11, 2020
Narayana Swamy's comments came barely a week after Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy appealed to the people not to view the coronavirus cases from a religious angle.
Jagan had said the disease could have spread from events of others like Ravi Shankar, Jaggi Vasudev, Mata Amritananda, Paul Dinakaran or John Wesley.
"We should not discriminate against people as it happened that way and was not premeditated. We have to put up a united fight like Indians, giving no room to any caste or religion," Jagan had said.
IANS inputs