PM Modi cancels Bengal visit on April 23, says will be chairing high-level meetings on Covid-19 situation

As Covid-19 cases spiralled and health infrastructure in a number of states gasped for breath, the Central Government has been sent into a tizzy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelled his proposed visit to West Bengal on Friday to address election rallies.

"Tomorrow, will be chairing high-level meetings to review the prevailing COVID-19 situation. Due to that, I would not be going to West Bengal," Modi tweeted, a remark which drew a stinging reaction from the Opposition Trinamool Congress.

"MO-SHA (Modi Shah) were so busy campaigning, that the scientific taskforce on #COVID19 did not meet even ONCE during Feb-March despite a calamitous surge," said Trinamool Congress leader Derek O' Brien referring to a news report, which said India's Covid-19 Task Force did not meet in February and March this year despite a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Rahul Gandhi had on April 18 announced to cancel all his election rallies in West Bengal citing the Covid-19 crisis and urged political parties to think how big a threat these rallies are to people. Trinamool Congress had also announced that Mamata Banerjee will not campaign in Kolkata anymore and has slashed time for all her election rallies in all districts.

Read | PM Modi to hold meetings on Covid-19 situation on April 23

While Congress had, citing Rahul's decision, asked Modi to do the same, BJP had initially mocked his decision with Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad saying "It's an alibi as the captain found his ship sinking". However, soon after BJP chief J P Nadda on April 19 announced to stop holding big public events in the state, flagging the need to break the chain of corona infection and hence limiting the gathering in rallies of Modi and Shah to not more than 500 persons.

Opposition leaders have been sharply critical of the BJP poll rally blitzkrieg in West Bengal despite resurgent Covid-19 and were raising questions on the commitment of the ruling party to the people's lives.

Modi's proposed election rallies for Saturday and Friday were clubbed together, which was supposed to be the last poll meetings of the PM in the poll-going state, where the election campaign ends on April 26. He had four election meetings scheduled tomorrow in Malda, Murshidabad, Kolkata, and Bolpur.