Mamata Banerjee attacks Modi: ‘Shameless Prime Minister failed Bengal; meet vaccine demands’
The CM also sought to know why money from the PM Cares Fund wasn't used to bear the expenses for the vaccination drive. She claimed that the Centre, due to its faulty policies, couldn't handle the Covid crisis well.
FollowChief Minister Mamta Banerjee on Tuesday said the BJP-led Central government led by a “shameless Prime Minister” failed to meet the state’s vaccine requirements, forcing her administration to make purchases on its own.
“I have never seen a shameless PM like Narendra Modi. We have already vaccinated 2.26 crore people. And for that, we had to buy at least 26 lakh doses on our own, despite promises by the Centre that it would provide the required number of doses. Notwithstanding the Centre’s ham-handed policies, we have been able to contain the virus. Our shameless PM has failed the country but his picture is found everywhere — from vaccine certificates to hoardings. I have seen many Prime Ministers, but none so shameless,” Banerjee said in her address to the state Assembly.
The state has started making preparations for the possible third wave of the pandemic, she noted.
Taking a dig at the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, she said, "For days, we saw bodies floating in rivers. Some bodies floated downstream and reached our state. Do they even know how many died in UP (due to the pandemic)? Don't they feel ashamed?"
Those who criticise Bengal should look in the mirror, the TMC supremo said, lashing out at Adityanath, who had criticised the TMC dispensation during the BJP’s poll campaigns.
Stepping up her attack on the saffron party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson said, “Petrol and diesel prices are increasing. It [Petrol price] has crossed Rs 100 [per litre]. The UP govt is disposing of dead bodies in the Ganga. Those bodies are floating and coming to West Bengal. The water has been contaminated.”
Continuing her tirade against the saffron camp, she said its members “do not know courtesy and decency as was evident” from the ruckus during Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar’s speech in the Assembly on July 2.
“I have seen BJP leaders such as Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj…This BJP, however, is different. They [BJP members] do not know any culture, courtesy, decency and civility,” said the TMC chairperson, adding that the party would not have won even 30 Assembly seats had the Election Commission (EC) not helped it.
Referring to post-poll violence, the Chief Minister claimed TMC workers had faced attacks when the state was under the EC’s supervision during the polls.
“During and immediately after the elections, the BJP circulated fake videos to spread hatred. We have photos, we have evidence. I will place these on your [speaker’s] table,” Banerjee said.
Banerjee said since the TMC’s “khela hobe [the game is on]” election slogan gained popularity, a “Khela Hobe Divas” will be observed in the state. The government would distribute 50,000 footballs to football clubs in Bengal.
Highlighting her government’s achievements, the CM said, "Bengal occupies the number one spot when it comes to generating employment under the 100 days’ work scheme. We are also ahead of all in developing rural roads in the country...We have set up 186 kisan mandis, 24 medical colleges.
"Take a look at the development initiatives in North Bengal. From universities to medical colleges, from river bridges to academies for Rajbangshis, Kamtapuris and other linguistic communities, we have done it all," she pointed out, countering BJP’s charge that the region has seen little growth.
Trashing the charge of central fund mismanagement, the TMC supremo said the Union government did not pay anything from its coffers for disaster relief.
NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitize, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona
