Hyderabad, Apr 4 (IANS): In Telangana, the BJP is locking horns with Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi over the issue of Tablighi Jamaat returnees spreading COVID-19.

On Friday, BJP's chief spokesperson in Telangana, K. Krishna Saagar Rao slammed the MIM strongman for standing by the Tablighi Jamaat, after it emerged that its adherents had contributed to the spurt of COVID-19 cases in the country.

In his statement, Rao noted that Owaisi is yet to condemn the developments surrounding the Tablighi Jamaat event at Nizamuddin in the month of March, "and the thousands of participants who are openly defying all government directives nationally."

"Asaduddin Owaisi has in fact openly supported this cluster, which by far is the largest infecting cluster in the entire world. Tablighi Jamaat cluster is rapidly transmitting coronavirus across India. However, Asaduddin is busy promoting these super spreaders through his supportive statements," the statement said.

Rao defended the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiatives and said Owaisi had no moral right to criticise the Prime Minister.

Earlier this week, the MIM chief from Hyderabad had come out in the defence of the Tablighi Jamaat after it emerged that members of the organisation had a major role in the spread of COVID-19 across the country, particularly in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He had come out strongly against alleged attempts to communalise the COVID-19 issue by tarnishing the Tablighi Jamaat.

Around 1,000 people from Telangana are believed to have participated in the Tablighi Jamaat event at Delhi between March 15-17, and returned to their homes in the state. A large number of the participants had contracted COVID-19 at the event and the authorities are trying to locate them all in an effort to contain the spread of the infection.

Telangana's total COVID-19 positive cases on Friday reached 229 and the death toll stood at 9.