KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday accused the Centre of favouring some states over the others when it comes to vaccine distribution. She also charged that New Delhi has diverted the supply of medical oxygen meant for West Bengal to the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.
“Gujarat has been given enough doses to vaccinate 60 per cent of its population. Other states are being allotted only enough doses to cover about 15 to 20 per cent of their population,” she said while addressing the media. She said in Gujarat, vaccines are being administered to people in the BJP offices.
Attacking the Centre over oxygen supply, the Trinamool Congress supremo said, “SAIL (Steel Authority of India Ltd) used to supply oxygen to West Bengal. There was an instruction yesterday from the Centre that SAIL would now supply the same oxygen to Uttar Pradesh. Is West Bengal a beggar? When it comes to election, they come here with an aim to capture Bengal. When it comes to an oxygen supply, they are diverting it to other states’’.
The chief minister said the state government has procured 5,000 cylinders of oxygen and send them to Covid-19 hospitals. She again blamed the Centre for India’s present Covid situation. She charged that the Centre’s mismanagement has driven the country to a crisis situation. Mamata also accused the BJP leaders of spreading Covid-19 in the state by bringing outsiders to attend election events.
She, once again attacked the Election Commission, over its refusal to club the last three phases of the Assembly election. “The Commission to listens to the BJP. They banned roadshows and imposed restrictions after the Prime Minister cancelled his four rallies on Thursday,’’ she said.
On Friday, the campaign for the seventh phase of the West Bengal elections ended. Thirty-four assembly constituencies are scheduled to go to the polls on April 26. A total of 86,78,221 voters 44,44,634 male and 42,33,358 women and 229 from the third gender will exercise their franchise. The focus in this phase of polling will be on seats in the southern part of the city, mainly Bhabanipore which is the stronghold of the Trinamool Congress.