[Marxistindia] Stop Communalising India's War against COVID-19

[news from the cpi(m)]

April 02, 2020

Press Statement 

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued  
the following statement:


Stop Communalising India’s War Against COVID-19


It is a matter of serious concern that a large number of those who  
attended the meetings of the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi  and who  
dispersed to different parts of the country have been found infected  
with the Coronavirus. It was irresponsible on the part of the Jamaat  
leadership to have organized the meeting in mid-March when  
restrictions were already in place about size of gatherings. It is  
also inexplicable how the authorities allowed a second gathering on  
March 2O-21.

The CPI (M) condemns the efforts and the campaign in social media to  
give this a communal color and to target a community. The Coronavirus  
does not differentiate on the basis of religion. All efforts to  
communalise the issue must be rebuffed. All big gatherings, social,  
religious and political, that have been held in many parts of the  
country after the March 13 order prohibiting assembly of more than 200  
people must be investigated thoroughly. Those attending must be traced  
and tested. We must learn from South Korea and Singapore in  
meticulously tracing all those attending large congregations,  
isolating them after aggressive testing and containing the community  
spread of COVID-19. India today has a very low testing rate i.e. 241  
times lower than South Korea. This must be rectified urgently.


This is India’s war against COVID-19. All efforts to communalise this  
fight will only undermine our early triumph in containing the virus.  
This would be self-defeating and all efforts must be made by the  
government to end the spread of such dangerous communal polarisation.

The PB appeals to all not to fall prey to provocations and strengthen  
our united efforts to defeat this pandemic.



For CPIM) Central Committee Office