CENTRE NOT DOING ANY WORK IN 6 MONTHS LED TO CURRENT COVID CRISIS: MAMATA

KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday that the Covid-19 crisis in the country was the result of the Centre “not doing any work” in the last six months as Union ministers and leaders were visiting Bengal daily to “capture” it.

Addressing the legislative assembly for the first time after taking charge as Bengal CM for the third straight term, Banerjee called for immediate electoral reforms in India, accusing the Election Commission of India of trying to rig the recently concluded assembly polls in the state to help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“Since the time of TN Seshan, I have seen the ECI working to prevent rigging during polls. Now it is just the opposite. In some places rigging was done with the direct help of the poll panel. This is unfortunate and shameful. Elections need to be reformed immediately. I have been fighting for this since 1995. I am once again giving a call for this. Three nominated persons along with a few retired officers are giving transfer orders on paper chits. This should not happen. Else democracy can’t be saved,” she said.

The TMC chief started her address after party MLA Biman Banerjee took oath as the Speaker of the assembly. BJP, however, boycotted the session to protest the post-poll violence in the state.