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Mamata accuses Centre of allowing Tablighi Jamaat meet, says it could have been stopped
Breaking her silence on the issue, Banerjee also said that at least 177 Tablighi Jamaat members, including 108 foreigners, who attended the congregation, have been ‘quietly and secretly’ quarantined in Bengal.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre, without naming the saffron party, of allowing the Tablighi Jamaat congregation to happen in Delhi last month. She said it could have been stopped.
Breaking her silence on the issue, Banerjee also said that at least 177 Tablighi Jamaat members, including 108 foreigners, who attended the congregation, have been ‘quietly and secretly’ quarantined in Bengal.
“Around 10 to 12 days ago we had quietly quarantined 108 foreigners and 69 people from Bengal who had attended the Delhi congregation. The foreigners had come from countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar. All 177 have been kept in a quarantine facility developed at the Haj Centre,” Banerjee said.
The BJP on Wednesday had accused Mamata Banerjee of indulging in vote bank politics after the West Bengal Chief Minister refused to share any update on those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya hit out at Banerjee alleging that she was trying to appease minorities over the issue.
“Jamaat cases have exploded across the country, but there is no clarity on the latest numbers in Bengal. How many of them traced and tested? Results? No update at all. Has she made it about vote bank?” Amit Malviya wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
“Those who are saying these things are responsible for this. External affairs and home affairs do not come under state’s jurisdiction. Several people, including foreigners, had gathered at Nizamuddin. They were allowed to gather. Had steps been taken from the beginning it would not have happened. I don’t want to play politics in these times,” Banerjee said, while reacting to the allegations.
Last month, the Tablighi Jamaat group had organised a massive congregation at Delhi’s Nizamuddin area which has now emerged as a Covid-19 hotspot.
At least 1,445 positive cases out of a total 5,274 coronavirus cases in the country, have been linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event, the government said. More than 1700 Jamaat members have been blacklisted so far.
“It is the union government and not the state government which keeps information about foreigners who enter India with valid documents. How can we know if they (union government) don’t provide information to the state? When we got the information we did it very quietly within a span of just six hours. We did our task. We had to maintain secrecy so that it doesn’t trigger panic. What can we do if we are not provided with information? When we got the information we acted within six hours,” the chief minister said.
