MAMATA SLAMS GOVT OVER VACCINE SUPPLY

KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the state was running out of Covid-19 vaccines and essential medicines such as remdesivir, while cases were on the rise.

In the letter, Banerjee also took a veiled dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying people coming from other states for election campaigning “at the behest of some political parties” were responsible for the sharp rise in infections.

Citing her February 24 letter in which she sought the Centre’s permission to directly purchase vaccines and start a free vaccination campaign across Bengal, Banerjee wrote,

“The state has not received the requisite clearance yet. In the meantime, the number of cases in the state has also started to rise sharply, particularly in view of coming of large number of outsiders to the state for election campaign and other purposes at the behest of some political parties.”

Banerjee wrote, “Unfortunately for us, the supply of vaccines from the Government of India side is scarce and erratic.”