BJP flouting EC Covid safety norms, claims TMC's Abhishek Banerjee

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek

Banerjee on Saturday attacked the BJP for allegedly organising campaign rallies flouting the Election Commissions COVID-19 safety protocols amid surging cases, and urged the poll panel to take note of it.

While the TMC has announced cancellation of public meetings the day EC banned road shows, rallies and allowed meetings only with a maximum of 500 people, the BJP is refusing to obey the rules endangering people's lives, the TMC youth wing president claimed in a live interaction on Facebook.

He alleged that 10,000 people attended a BJP rally at Malda on Saturday.

"The EC allowed rallies with 500 people, but did nothing to monitor the restriction. The EC should have clubbed the remaining phases (of the election)," the nephew of party chief Mamata Banerjee said.

The saffron party has no concern for people's lives, he alleged.

"The PM deprived 130 crore people of the country and sent the COVID-19 vaccine to 80 countries to boost his image. Now there is around 3 lakh cases and 2000 deaths daily in the country," he said accusing the Narendra Modi government of totally mishandling the situation.

In BJP-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, people are not getting beds in hospitals, crying for oxygen on streets and crematoriums are overflowing with bodies, he claimed.

To prevent such a situation in West Bengal, one needs to have Mamata Banerjee at the helm who had successfully contained the coronavirus situation last year, the TMC leader said.