Tried to capture Bengal, nearly destroyed India, says Mamata

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday that the COVID-19 crisis in the country was the result of the Centre "not doing any work" in the last six months as Union ministers and leaders were visiting Bengal daily to "capture" it.

Mamata Banerjee was speaking in the Bengal Assembly after Trinamool MLA Biman Bandyopadhyay was elected the Speaker for the third time.

Warning of stern action against communal incitements, the Chief Minister claimed the BJP was provoking violence after failing to win the elections.

"I can challenge that had the Election Commission not helped them directly, they (BJP) could not have won even 30 seats. In this election, rigging took place in some places under the watch of the poll panel," she claimed, stressing the need to reform the Election Commission.

"Now, they (BJP) cannot accept the mandate of the people and are trying to incite violence by posting fake videos," she claimed.

Banerjee directed the administration to take stern action against those trying to provoke violence and communal tensions.

She alleged that personnel of the Central forces were in the state during the elections without undergoing RT-PCR Covid tests, resulting in the spread of the infection.

Incidentally, a record single-day spike of 19,436 Covid cases was reported across Bengal on Saturday taking the total infection tally to 9,73,718. The state registered 127 fatalities, the highest single-day count, in the past 24 hours. Around 12,203 people have so far died of Covid in the state.

The Chief Minister claimed that the Centre "did no work" in the last six months.

"To set up a double-engine government in Bengal, they have pushed India to the brink of destruction. Last six months, the central government did no work and they were all here daily to capture Bengal," she said.

A host of Union ministers and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states, besides the party's top leadership were canvassing West Bengal in the run-up to the just-concluded Assembly elections.

Banerjee reiterated the demand for universal vaccination, stating that it should have been the priority of the Centre, instead the government is spending Rs 50,000 crore on the new Parliament building, PM's residence and statues, among others.