PM’s Covid-19 meeting ‘super flop’, CMs insulted: Mamata Banerjee

Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of insulting the chief ministers by not allowing them to speak at a virtual meeting on Covid-19, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that it was just a “casual, super flop” meeting.

“What we found most objectionable is that despite officially inviting the chief ministers, none of them were even allowed to say a word... It was just a casual, super flop meeting. We the chief ministers are feeling insulted and humiliated,” said Mamata.

Speaking to reporters at the State Secretariat after the meeting, the Chief Minister said that she was “astonished to see” that despite being officially invited to the meeting, all the chief ministers were sitting “just like puppets.”

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She slammed the Prime Minister for allegedly not asking anything about supply of Covid-19 vaccines, medicines and medical oxygen. Mamata said that she planned to urge the Prime Minister to supply Bengal with adequate vaccines, so that everyone in the state can be vaccinated.

Firing a fresh salvo at the Prime Minister, Mamata asked how can he claim that the spread of Covid-19 in the country has subsided when so many deaths are taking place.

She further alleged that it was because of “such negligence", the pandemic situation in the country has become so severe, adding that it was because of the eight phase Assembly elections, the virus has spread to the villages of Bengal.

“We felt bad that the Prime Minister was feeling so insecure that he did not even listen to the chief ministers. Why is he so afraid? Why such negligence?" asked Mamata.

Accusing the Centre of slowing down the supply of vaccines to Bengal, the Chief Minister said that in this month the state was supposed to get 24 lakh doses but has not even received 13 lakh doses.

“Who will give the answer? The Prime Minister went into hiding. We repeatedly said that if Rs 30,000 crore is allotted for vaccination, then universal vaccination would have been possible. Instead they are busy constructing buildings and statues,” said Mamata.

She accused the Prime Minister of dodging the issue of 'black fungus' infection, adding that four such cases were detected in Bengal. She also wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to provide at least 20 lakh doses of vaccines for state and central government employees.