Tejasvi Surya’s charges get communal, impacts Covid work

Bengaluru: The city’s Covid management system was severely disrupted on Wednesday when the bed-for-bribe scam was highlighted by BJP’s lawmakers and was circulated on all social media platforms. Social media termed volunteers and contract workers in BBMP zonal war rooms as “terrorists” at work.

BBMP chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta stated that the civic body’s war rooms saw a shortage of staff as they started to receive calls and enquiries regarding the case.

The case also created an impact on the volunteers on the ground and crematoriums. Girish Mattennavar, director of BBMP Citizen Help Group for Covid Operations said, “We have deployed three volunteers each at 55 hospitals and more than 40 people did not turn up. When we called them, they said they didn’t want to take a risk till there is clarity that no terrorists are involved.”

The videos in which Bengaluru South MP and BJP Yuva Morcha national president Tejasvi Surya read out names of 17 Muslim contract employees and alleged that touts and BBMP officials were involved in blocking beds went viral. He asked senior officials that on what basis were those contract employees highlighted. There are 210 employees in the war room but he read out the names of only 17 Muslims.

BJP MLA Ravi Subramanya, who is Surya’s uncle shouted at BBMP officials and asked, “Have you appointed these people to a madrassa or  corporation?”

However, Surya said that it was never his intention to give the scam a communal colour. He said, “Why would I be so stupid to turn this humongous fraud into a communal issue? Covid is a secular virus that won’t affect people based on religion. I’m not from that tribe of politicians who milk tragedies. In fact, one of the arrested, Rohit, is not a Muslim.”

About people staying away from work due to fear, he said, “Don’t worry. We have enough volunteers and we will send them if BBMP wants.”

Abdul Razak, a volunteer with social organisation Mercy Angels stated that 150 out of 250 workers involved in creation are Muslims and they are all upset about this. He said, “Nobody stayed away from work on Wednesday; I don’t know about Thursday as many of us are demoralised.”

The allegations by Surya have started charges and counter-charges between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress. Siddaramaiah, former minister and leader of the opposition party tweeted, “Why do you tend to bring in the communal angle in all possible issues from food to human lives, Tejasvi Surya? The communal virus staying in your brain is more dangerous than the coronavirus. Take treatment for that.”