Kolkata: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar hit out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday (May 2) once again and asked her to regret her remarks that 'political parties are vultures waiting for dead bodies’ and ‘journalists must behave’. He also appealed all senior police and administrative officers to be fair in their duties and avoid any political affiliation.
"My message to senior police and administrative officers: Be fair, avoid any political affiliation or stance and deliver with your best foot forward. I am sure all concerned in the state govt will ensure that the needy get full benefit of free ration from Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. There should be no corruption, diversion, political interference or controlling this. Benefit should reach poor & not the coffers of black marketers. I appeal to CM to regret her comment on ‘political parties are vultures waiting for dead bodies’ and ‘journalists must behave’," read the statement.
A day before, Governor Dhankar had accused Mamata of hiding details regarding coronavirus cases in the state and asked her to come out with actual figures. "West Bengal is the only state where the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) faced problems in carrying out their work. When the entire country is fighting against COVID-19 and the IMCT came to assess the situation, we should have received it with red carpet instead of opposing it. With IMCT coming to the state, the number of testing has increased. After their visit, there have been positive changes in the state," the Governor said.
He said that after the investigation by IMCT 'the death toll in the state suddenly jumped from 22 to 105'.
On May 1, the Trinamool Congress had criticised the BJP-led central government for extending the lockdown by two weeks from May 4
without giving an account of the prevailing coronavirus situation and failing to chalk out a roadmap for revival of the economy reeling under the COVID-19 outbreak.
"We have nothing to say about the extension of the lockdown for two more weeks as our party has already said that we would go by the Centre's decision on the lockdown," veteran TMC leader and MP Saugato Roy told PTI over the phone.
"But the Union government should come out clean on various issues including the exact reasons for extending the lockdown," he said. He wondered whether the Centre was serious to revive the economy and provide a financial package to states to combat adversity due to the pandemic.
The TMC and the BJP are locked in a war of words over visit of central teams to assess COVID-19 situation in West Bengal.
The Union government order, which announced the extension of the lockdown invoking the Disaster Management Act, said a limited number of activities will remain prohibited throughout the country, irrespective of the zone. These prohibited activities include travel by air, rail, metro and inter-state movement by road.
