Mamata refuses to commit herself in PM’s appeal
Kolkata,04 April(HS): Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has reacted sharply about the appeal of Prime minister Narendra Modi urging people to light candles or torches for 9 minutes from 9 p.m. tomorrow, and categorically stated that nobody should make any attempt to turn it as a ‘political issue’ in the midst of the pandemic situation.
Replying to queries from reporters during her daily Press conference at the state Secretariat Nabanna here yesterday to brief the latest situation of COVID-19 in West Bengal, the Chief Minister in her usual manner strongly rebuked the questioner when asked about her stance regarding the Prime minister’s latest appeal.
‘Why are you trying to politicize the issue? It is up to you whether you follow it or not. This is not the time to bring such issue with a political motive’, she said without providing a direct reply to the query.
The Chief minister looked agitated once again when she was asked whether she herself would follow the Prime minister’s appeal. ‘Why do you want to ignite a political battle on the issue?, she said adding she might even go to sleep(even at 9 p.m. tomorrow) if she felt like.’ It is my personal matter’, she said while refusing to clarify her stance further.
Earlier in the day in his third televised address to the Nation Prime minister, Modi sought the wholehearted cooperation from the country’s 1.2 billion people by expressing their solidarity in the fight against the deadly Coronavirus unitedly and urged them to put off all lights of every household at 9.p.m.on Sunday – 5 April- and instead light candles and torches for 9 minutes to support the government efforts in its fight against the deadly disease.
Later he also held a video conference on the same issue with 40 renowned sportspersons and sought their cooperation too.
Meanwhile, state BJP President Dilip Ghosh, MP, has strongly criticised the remarks of the Chief Minister regarding the appeal of the Prime minister and said as the head of the state administration she should have understood the basic concept behind the appeal and should back the Central government in its all-out battle against COVID- 10.
