Yet again West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a controversial statement to create a social media buzz. The CM on Wednesday accused the Centre of spreading fear about coronavirus to distract attention from the recent Delhi riots.
Attempts to create panic over coronavirus
While addressing a rally in Buniadpur, she said that “some people and channels” were trying to create panic over coronavirus in the country to divert attention from the Delhi communal riots.
“Today some people are shouting corona, corona [coronavirus] a bit too much. Yes, it’s a dreaded disease but don’t create panic. Some (TV) channels are creating hype over it to suppress Delhi violence. Do report when it occurs. We don’t want the disease to spread, but don’t create panic,” she said.
Mamta further said that people in Delhi died because of violence and not the coronavirus.
“If they had died of the virus we would have at least known they died due to a dreaded virus but healthy people were reportedly killed. They [BJP] did not even apologize. Think of the arrogance. They are saying Goli Maro, let me warn them Bengal and UP is not the same.”
She told that hundreds of people were missing since the violence in the national capital and bodies are still being recovered from drains. “The situation in Delhi is pathetic. There are lots of bodies. So many people have become homeless. Bodies are being recovered from drains. Seven hundred people are still missing,” she said.
Mamta defends on Bangladeshi immigrants statement
The chief minister speaking on what she said earlier about the Bangladeshi immigrants. She believes she was misrepresented by the media over the issue.
“I never said Bangladeshis who have come to this country are Indian citizens. During Partition, many from Pakistan came to our country, to Punjab, Gujarat, and Delhi, and many people from Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) came to Bengal. After these (refugees) came, Nehru-Liaquat Pact was signed which granted citizenship to those who had crossed over to India from Pakistan.”
“Again, in 1971 during the (Bangladesh) liberation war, there was a treaty between Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman which granted Indian citizenship to refugees from that country. I was speaking about them,” she said.
