Amid row over death toll, PDS 'scam', Mamata & BJP are nearing a flashpoint

Although the coronavirus outbreak brought an unprecedented calmness to the politics of West Bengal, the lull did not last long. The political war of words resumed sooner than expected, even in the face of the Covid-19 spectre.

As soon as the virus started to spread in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) state unit, which otherwise rattles daily on charges of corruption, law and order issues, and other political matters, had gone silent against the state government; Left Front leaders, too, went quiet on their own set of assertions against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). On the other hand, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said unusual times like this were not for politics.

“But then, for how long does one expect politicians to shun politics, that too in a highly politicised state like West Bengal. To think that politics is going to take a backseat even in times of coronavirus is too idealistic,” said Biswanath Chakraborty, a political observer.

Over the past few weeks, the BJP has been attacking the TMC and Banerjee on issues ranging from the alleged suppression of the Covid-19 death toll in the state, to fewer testing, poor conditions of state-run hospitals and isolation wards, lockdown violations, suspected irregularities in the public distribution system (PDS), and others.

The attack sharpened after the Centre decided to send two inter-ministerial central teams (IMCTs) to assess the situation in the state. The episode left Banerjee and her administration fuming over “protocol violation”. The BJP tweeted: “People are disappearing in Bengal, and even their families have no information whatsoever. We heard of such things only during dictatorial Communist regimes.”

Of late, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, has been echoing the BJP’s allegations. Its leader Sujan Chakraborty has accused the state government of under-reporting Covid-19 deaths. On his official social media account, the politician listed 12 individuals from Howrah district,  a red zone, who were Covid-19 positive and suspected to have succumbed to the disease. Their bodies allegedly were “disposed of, citing the WHO guidelines”.

“Probably only two figure on the government's list of coronavirus deaths. Where are others listed? People have the right to know,” the CPM leader said.

In West Bengal, the audit committee appointed by the state government is the sole judge for deciding if someone died of Covid-19. As of April 24, the audit committee had reviewed 57 deaths, of which 18 were concluded to have succumbed to Covid-19. For the rest, the reasons cited were comorbidities.

Babul Supriyo, BJP parliamentarian and Union minister, posted a video highlighting the poor condition of isolation wards at government hospitals. The video purportedly showed unattended bodies lying for hours in the same area where people were kept in isolation. As the video went viral, the state government banned mobile phones at quarantine facilities, saying those were carriers of infection.

Before the Assembly elections next year, the state will witness municipal polls this year as soon as normalcy returns to the state. The civic polls were postponed in view of the pandemic.

Banerjee is facing intense opposition from not only the BJP and the Left, but also Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, with whom she shares a frosty relationship.

The governor has been repeatedly claiming that the state government was not respecting his constitutional stature. He even wrote to the chief minister alleging the state is being run as Banerjee’s “personal fiefdom”. Other issues of discontent ranged from an alleged scam in the state’s PDS to poor rate of testing.

Dhankhar wrote: “The situation of the PDS in the state has reached an alarming level of concern. The emerging scenario is indicative of a PDS scam engulfing the state. Extreme stern and watchdog approach... is required to ensure it does not go beyond the dimensions of scams the state has already seen.” He has also favoured free ration under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojna, a central scheme, which has  not been implemented in the state.  “This free ration is for the poor and not for black marketeers or profiteers,” the governor said. He even suggested para-military forces be deployed in the state.

On the eve of the lockdown, Banerjee had stated free ration would be provided to both PDS and non-PDS cardholders for six months. However, at a Cabinet meeting, she went furious over the implementation of her directives on food rationing, leading to the state’s food and supplies department secretary being removed.

Attacked from every corner, Banerjee eventually retaliated and wrote a strong-worded letter to the governor, stressing that he was a nominated person, while she was an elected representative of the people. It helped open up a series of constitutional allegations and counter-allegations between the BJP and the TMC.

On the matter of fewer tests, Banerjee said the state was supplied with faulty test kits. The Centre has acknowledged several test kits were faulty.

Chakraborty stressed that the current situation in the state and the Centre’s decision to send the IMCTs stem from lack of transparency in the measures to fight Covid-19 in West Bengal, the rise in positive cases and the general fear among health professionals in the state. “The Centre decided to send IMCTs as doctors and health workers repeatedly wrote to the Centre about the situation in West Bengal. There is no involvement of the BJP here,” Chakraborty said.

Banerjee and her party cried foul, citing “protocol violation” as the IMCTs landed. TMC MP Derek O’Brien said: “The provisions of the Disaster Management Act have been grossly misused... 

This IMCT invasion has coincided with the Indian Council for Medical Research crippling West Bengal’s efforts by dispatching faulty test kits.”

The Centre, on the other hand, pulled up state Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha for restraining IMCTs from carrying out their duties. The matter settled after Sinha wrote to the Centre, giving his “highest assurance” of cooperation.

Prashant Kishor, who advises Banerjee on political strategy, has been called in even during the lockdown. Political observers say a new narrative from the TMC and Banerjee is in the making now.