BJP MP 'exposes' bed scam, targets Muslim employees in Covid war room

Bengaluru: BJP MLAs Satish Reddy and Ravi Subramanya along with Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya barged into Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) COVID War Room on Wednesday and asked the officials there if it was a Haj Bhavan or a madrasa to recruit only Muslims.

A video shows Tejasvi Surya grilling officials. One of the MLAs with him is his uncle.

Surya is seen reading out a list of names of people posted in the Covid facility – all the names are Muslim. After rattling off 16 of the names he looks up and questions: "Who are all these people? First shift, second shift, night shift. 17 people in the list in three shifts. I will read the list. What was the process of hiring? 17 people. Who are these people?"

These 17 names were singled out from 205 employees in the BBMP Covid war room.

Mr Surya stops there - but his uncle and MLA Ravi Subramanya is heard shouting, "Have you appointed them for the madrassa or for the corporation?"

Immediately after Surya exposed the anomalies in BBMP's bed allocation a message on Whatsapp was being forwarded targeting the Joint Commissioner (SWM), BBMP Sarfaraz Khan for being involved in the irregularity.

Khan took to Facebook expressing shock at his name being dragged when he was in no way involved in the Covid War Room.

"It was shocking for the simple reason that, I hv no role in War room nor do I know any doctor in war room . War room is headed by Special commissioner health . My job is to take care of BBMP Covid care centres and Solid waste Management , Dept . ( may please see the order above which I hv circled).The recruitment of Doctors or any other staff in the war room is the job of health department and the respective zones of the Bbmp , it has zero connection with me (sic)."

Khan was pained to see the communal angle being given to the issue.

"I hv been working ,day in and day out , arranging for oxygen , oxygen concentrators for all Covid care centres to save precious lives . I hv converted the Haj Bhavan into 140 bedded oxygenated Covid care centre and 50 Icus are being set up at the cost of Haj Committee funds . I would like to say that 90% occupancy in Haj Bhavan is our brothers from other religion and 10 % of them are Muslims I believe and have believed that God is one , whether u call him , Allaha , Eshwar or Jesus .And all of us are his children . Last year I ran around to arrange for food and food kits to the poor and needy , I never saw which religion they belong to or which region they belong to. I stood with thousands of migrants giving them food , moral support and helping them board the train to there native places , here also I did not see their region or religion , they were my fellow brothers in deep distress and I need to ensure that they reach home safe to there loved ones . The consequence was my whole family suffered from Covid because of me. Is this not proof enough that I am one among u and not an alien entity? My allegiance is always to my country, to my Govt and to the constitution of this country. Really pained at some people's ignorance r mischief, I hope law takes its course , conduct an enquiry and punish , the anti socials who are spreading poison , in this difficult times (sic)," the post read.