Mamata accuses PM of allowing open market sale of vaccines after depleting stocks through gifts abroad
(Eds Adding fresh details, adding dropped word in para 8) Bhagawangola/Sagardighi/Farakka (WB), Apr 20 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday saidPrime Minister Narendra Modi has allowed open market sales ofcoronavirus vaccines after shipments made by him to foreignshores have depleted stocks in India.
Banerjee also hinted that election schedules werebeing drawn up to assist BJP, while voicing her displeasure atthe rejection of her proposal to club elections in theremaining three phases.
Addressing an election meeting at Bhagwangola inMurshidabad district, the Trinamool Congress supremo said theprime minister had exported vaccines to other countries toboost his image while states like Maharashtra, Delhi,Rajasthan and West Bengal have struggled to get doses theyrequired to combat the Covid pandemic.
“Yesterday the PM said the medicine (vaccine) will beavailable in open market. Where is the open market, where isthe availability? You have already shipped out the majority ofstock to foreign destinations,” she alleged.
The Central Government had gifted Covid vaccines to anumber of countries including neighbouring nation and allowedexport to many more including to Brazil and South Africaearlier this year.
Terming the Narendra Modi-led NDA government as agovernment of monumental incompetence”, Banerjee said “we arefacing a huge deficit in vaccines due to the faulty planning.
The TMC supremo said more Covid cases are being reported fromKolkata, North 24 Parganas and Asansol belt and the stategovernment is trying to manage the crisis from a limitedstock.
“For six months the Central leadership did not botherto plan, they were busy plotting electoral battles in Bengal,Banerjee alleged.
Turning her guns on BJP, she claimed the party broughtin “lakhs of people from outside the state to help incampaigning and many of these people were infected with Covid.
These people will leave but they have spread the virus and theonus to manage the new crisis will be on us. Bengals Covidsituation was firmly under control but now the rate ofinfection is rising again.
However, she advised people not to panic, adding wewill again bring it (pandemic) under a tight leash.”Stating that she had learnt that elections to two assemblyseats in Murshidabad, which were countermanded due to thedeaths of candidates, may be held on May 13, Banerjee said “IfEid takes place on May 13, the EC should decide on a votingdate keeping in mind the need of voters to celebrate thefestival.
Referring to erosion of Ganges river in Murshidabadand Malda districts, Banerjee said “only Central (policies)can stop the erosion.” “Under the terms of the Indo-Bangla water treaty,Bangladesh was given Ganges water, but as the Centre did notdredge the Farakka barrage, it has silted. This has causedregular flooding in Bihar, Murshidabad and Malda wheneverthere are heavy rains in Bihar. The Centre should carry outdredging of Farakka on an urgent basis,” she said.
The Trinamool Congress supremo said “we need to have aGanga Erosion Board to work on war footing.” Urging the electorate to see Bengal doesnt fall intothe hands of “rioters , the chief minister alleged she hadreports that there were plots to engineer riots on Ram Navami.
“Please be on guard. Dont fall prey to any bid to pitHindus against Muslims,” she said.
Banerjee also urged the people “not to vote for theLeft, Congress or other Sanjukta Morcha candidates who are theother face of BJP.
At another rally in Farakka also in Murshidabaddistrict, the chief minister accused BJP of opposing herproposal to club the remaining three phases of polling in viewof a spike in covid cases. She also hinted that the pollschedules were drawn up to help the BJP.
“Some candidates were infected with COVID, two died…
The EC fixes the schedule to help Modibabu (Narendra Modi),”she alleged.
“If election takes place, there has to be campaigning.
One day voting would have reduced the spread of infection andhelped people, Banerjee reasoned.
Elaborating on her claims about secret understandingbetween parties of Sanjukta Morcha and BJP, she said atSagardighi “it is nothing but another morcha with BJPsblessings.”PTI SUSJRC JRC
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)
