Shramik trains to blame for spurt in Bengal cases: Mamata
■ ‘Special trains bringing corona to Bengal’
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday blamed the Centre’s decision to allow Shramik Special trains, with guest workers from different states, in large numbers to West Bengal behind the spurt in the statewide Covid-19 pandemic that claimed 217 lives and infected 4,192 people so far.
Ms Banerjee accused the Indian Railways of keeping her government in the dark and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention.
She claimed that her government “controlled the pandemic completely” before the spurt, saying: “If lakhs of guest workers arrive and 25 per cent test positive, will the Centre take responsibility?”
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday squarely blamed the Centre's decision of allowing Shramik Special trains, with guest workers from different parts of the country, in large numbers simultaneously to West Bengal behind the spurt in the statewide Covid-19 pandemic which claimed 217 lives and infected 4,192 till date.
Accusing the railway ministry of keeping her government in dark about it’s decision, she has sought intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah in the issue. The Trinamul Congress supremo also credited her government of “controlling Covid-19 pandemic completely” before the spurt.
On May 22 the state government urged the railway ministry not to send the Shramik Special trains to the state till May 26 due to its occupation with the relief and rehabilitation work in the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan.
Ms Banerjee said, “Already five lakh guest workers returned here from other states. Many of them tested positive. It did not happen in Bengal earlier. We had controlled Covid-19 completely earlier. It would not have happened had the Centre listened
to us. I don’t know why the railway ministry did it. They could have consulted us. Will the Centre take the responsibility if these lakhs of people test positive in future? You (BJP) want to turn Bengal into Delhi or Rajasthan or Gujarat. The railway ministry has no responsibility. You didn’t follow what we said. Should I fight your politics or Covid-19? I request the PM and the Union home minister to look into it. The PM must intervene.”
She claimed, “We learnt on Tuesday morning that 36 trains already started from Mumbai simultaneously without informing us. When we contacted the Maharashtra government, they told us they were informed of the decision at around 2 am. It was done deliberately by the railways. If, so many trains arrive here at the same time, how can all the guest workers be accommodated? If lakhs of guest workers arrive here regularly and 25%of them are found infected, it will be bad.”