West Bengal BJP protests state govt's mismanagement of COVID-19 situation with at-home sit-in dharna

During the sit-in protest, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh claimed that there was no clarity over the COVID-19 affected areas and the number of active cases in West Bengal. 

"The COVID-19 deaths are being suppressed...we don't know if those admitted in hospitals are getting the right treatment. There is no transparency...government is not sharing information with the public. People of the state are in complete dark about the Covid-19 situation in West Bengal," said Ghosh.

On Friday, Ghosh had said BJP supporters and workers will hold a silent sit-in protest from 11 am to 2 am on Sunday within their homes against the Mamata Banerjee government's mishandling of coronavirus crisis and its blatant efforts to hide the mess.

Attacking the Mamata administration, the state BJP president alleged that there was mismanagement in food distribution across the state during the lockdown period and several people were facing food shortages and added that the BJP members were being attacked when they were trying to help the distressed people with food and other relief materials.

"Our workers are being arrested, they are being stopped by police from venturing out when they are trying to help people who are affected by the government mismanagement. We are holding this silent protest to raise our voice against Mamata Banerjee government's mismanagement in tackling the coronavirus outbreak and suppressing the voices criticising her," he added.

Ghosh accused Mamata Banerjee of failing to impress upon the people the importance of lockdown.

"From day one, the chief minister is herself on the roads, going around places...she is thinking this is the way to spread awareness on the dreaded disease. Her ministers are also on the roads. Then tell me why will the people confine themselves to indoors?" he averred.

He alleged that the state government was not sharing information about the condition of the people in institutional quarantine and their medical reports.

"We have learned that over 100 people were released from quarantine yesterday, but the government did not tell if they had all been tested and if yes what is the result. There is information that two of them had died. We are extremely concerned about the casual approach of the state government," he said.

Citing the example of Yogi Adityanth government of Uttar Pradesh, he said, "In states like Uttar Pradesh, the spike in COVID-19 cases linked to Nizamuddin event was curbed due to meticulous contact tracing and extensive testing of the suspected individuals, but in West Bengal, this is not the case."

The state government in its bid to dodge allegations and covering up its shortcomings has ended up dwarfing the real cause, he asserted.