Siliguri, 14th June: Addressing the media on Sunday, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista accused the State government of carrying out unnecessary politics even during such a crisis. He held a press conference in Siliguri today and leveled various allegations against the ruling party. He stated that after staying at home quarantine for 14 days after his return from Delhi, he has been regularly visiting his constituencies to inspect the current COVID-19 situation. However, after proper inspection, he discovered that the state government is still not prepared to deal with the pandemic.
Apart from this, he stated that the central government had provided around 11,000 quintals of good quality rice for migrant workers with an estimated market value of Rs 2.5 crore. However, MP Bista has made serious allegations against some local political party leaders of embezzlement and further asked journalists to help expose the scam.
The MP further stated that the Central Government has so far provided 6 lakh PPE kits, 7 lakh N95 masks, and also launched 35 government and non-government ICMR labs in the state. The Center also provided financial assistance of Rs 11,200 crore to the State Government and Rs 126 crore for the purchase of medical supplies at the initial phase of the pandemic.
Despite this, the State Chief Minister has only been accusing the Central Government of not providing financial assistance in Bengal. He further maintained that even when the central team visited Bengal to investigate the COVID-19 situation, they were prevented to do their work on the instructions of the CM. Bista accused the CM of welcoming the central team only when financial assistance was provided on behalf of the central government.