The Bharatiya Janata Party has strongly reacted to the decision of the Congress government in Telangana to provide Rs 2.4 crore for the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nematnagar village of Pargi Mandal in Vikarabad district from 6th to 8th January next year. BJP’s national general secretary and Karimnagar Lok Sabha MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar has urged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to take firm action against the officers who granted authorization and initiated the process of releasing money for the event. Furthermore, he insisted that the gathering should be called off.
Pure evil and outrageous of Congress government in Telangana to fund Tablighi Jamaat meeting.
— Bandi Sanjay Kumar (@bandisanjay_bjp) December 21, 2023
Does the newly elected government of Revanth Reddy know this? What are intelligence agencies doing? What do you want to do to Telangana with Tukde Tukde gang?
Congress government… pic.twitter.com/McLYuqHiK2
Bandi Sanjay Kumar took to X to slam the decision and stated, “Pure evil and outrageous of Congress government in Telangana to fund Tablighi Jamaat meeting.”
He questioned whether the state chief minister was aware of the development and referred to the Islamic movement as the “Tukde-Tukde gang.” He asked, “Does the newly elected government of Revanth Reddy know this? What are intelligence agencies doing? What do you want to do to Telangana with the Tukde Tukde gang?”
The BJP leader charged, “Congress government claims that state is bankrupt, but is funding program organized by Tablighi Jamaat which promotes terrorism and the spread of Islam. It is an unforgivable crime to commit such acts in the guise of secularism.”
He recounted that Tablighi Jamaat was the primary cause of the coronavirus’s transmission in India in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. “During the Covid-19 pandemic, the main reason for the spread of the virus in India 2020, was the Tablighi Jamaat’s religious prayers. This organization’s entry into Telangana in the name of gatherings and meetings is leading to many suspicions, that too at a time when the coronavirus is spreading in India again.”
The parliamentarian accused, “It is outrageous that more than Rs 2.45 crores have been sanctioned for the arrangements of the meeting organized by the Tablighi Jamaat organization in the name of Islamic society in January in Parigi mandal of Vikarabad district.” He pointed out, “Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan have banned the Tablighi Jamaat organization for promoting terrorism.”
He inquired about the brains behind the decision to give money to a group that propagates radical religions and forces people to convert to their religion and pushed for the scrapping of the program. “Who is the mastermind behind the government’s grant of funds to an organization involved in spreading extremist ideologies and forced religious conversions? On behalf of the party’s Telangana unit, we demand Strict action be taken and the meeting of the Tablighi Jamaat should be cancelled immediately.”
“As soon as the Congress government came, the conference was organised by the Tablighi Jamaat, a Muslim missionary organisation, had been funded. The funds were sanctioned at a meeting held in Parigi mandal of Vikarabad district. We are not against minorities, but why is the government giving money to an organisation that spreads the ideology of Islam and terrorism? Released on December 13, 2023, the Minority Welfare Department’s GO No. 123 sanctioning funds for the conference is dangerous for the country,” voiced BJP state spokesperson Rachana Reddy in a press conference on 20th December and accused Congress of unveiling its true face.
She added, “The Tablighi Jamaat has been banned in Saudi Arabia for its illegal conversion drive to Islam and its involvement in proselytizing activities. Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, has banned the Tablighi Jamaat. How can the government fund an organisation that indulges in the spread of extremist ideology and forced conversions without any intelligence inputs and without consulting the authorities.” She further expressed regret at the Waqf Board’s decision to permanently provide Tablighi Jamaat with amenities including parking and drinking water pipes.
The Congress government in Telangana has cleared the provision of Rs 2,45,93,847 crore to hold an Islamic congregation just one week after taking office. Two to five lakh Muslims from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh are anticipated to attend the Subaee Deeni Ijtema which is organised by Tabliqhi Jamaat.
Parigi Congress MLA Dr T RamMohan Reddy declared that he was able to swiftly acquire the cash after serious consideration and speaking with Chief Minister Revanh Reddy. A directive from Syed Umar Jaleel, the Secretary of Minority Welfare revealed that monetary assistance from several departments had been authorised for the conference.
A similar gathering was conducted by Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi in March 2020 during which the deadly Covid virus was prevalent and most of the attendees were infected. Moreover, they scattered around the nation, causing the virus to spread widely. It was found after a police inquiry that a large number of foreigners attended this event as well and travelled to different regions of the nation which presented a security danger.
The Tablighi Jamaat congregation and its activities are prohibited in many Islamic countries. Saudi Arabia outlawed Tablighi Jamaat in December 2021, referring to it as “one of the gates of terrorism.” The Islamic organisation was outlawed and classified as an extremist organisation in Kazakhstan in 2013. Furthermore, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan forbade the outfit.
