Kolkata (West Bengal): The face-off between the Centre and West Bengal over the visit of two central teams for an on-the-spot assessment of the COVID-19 situation once gain brought to the fore the friction between the two warring sides.
The arrival of the teams in Kolkata without 'prior intimation' to the state government has set off a tussle between the ruling dispensations at the Centre and in the state, with Mamata Banerjee's TMC calling the visit adventure tourism and violation of the tenets of federal structure, and the BJP accusing her government of hiding data about the pandemic.
As tensions flared, the Union home ministry intervened, with its secretary Bhalla writing to the state's chief secretary that the two inter-ministerial central teams, visiting Kolkata and Jalpaiguri, have not been extended desired cooperation by the state and local authorities.
After the strongly worded letter from Bhalla, the team in Kolkata was allowed to visit parts of the city escorted by BSF and state police contingents.
However, when the warring seemingly subsided, Mamata Banerjee once again accused the Centre of sending faulty testing kits to West Bengal.
Read:Canards spread against Bengal over Covid-19 tests; Centre sending faulty kits: Mamata
Here is what transpired:
- March 4 - Attempts to divert attention away from Delhi riots: Mamata
Earlier on March 4, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that "some people and channels" were trying to create panic over coronovirus in the country to divert attention from the Delhi communal riots. She said "happy and healthy" people were killed in Delhi because of violence and not a virus. - April 15 - Mamata govt hiding facts: BJP
BJP National Secretary Rahul Sinha alleged that the Mamata Banerjee government was hiding the actual count of COVID-19 cases in the state. A few days later, BJP West Bengal president, Dilip Ghosh, too alleged that the state government was trying to hide facts related to the spread of the disease. - April 18 - Numbers vary
According to reports, the number of COVID-19 positive cases given out by the state and the Centre were at variance with each other.While the West Bengal government on April 18 said that the number of COVID-19 positive cases in the state stood at 233, the Union Health Ministry's website put the tally at 287. - April 20 - West Bengal govt kept in dark: Mamata
Taking umbrage at the Centre for sending teams to assess the "serious" COVID-19 situation in the state, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 20, underscoring the "unilateral" and "undesirable" action, keeping her government in the dark. - April 21 - Central team on adventure tourism: TMC
The TMC on April 21 dubbed as "adventure tourism" the visit of two central teams to West Bengal, and asked why such delegations were not sent to states with much higher numbers of infections and hotspots. - April 21 - Centre instructs WB not to obstruct teams
The Centre on April 21 directed the West Bengal government not to obstruct the work of two central teams visiting the state. The home ministry had said that the West Bengal government was not cooperating with the central teams and was specifically restraining them from interacting with health workers and touring the affected areas. The Home Ministry said that except West Bengal, all other states were cooperating with the Centre. - April 21 - Central team escorted by BSF, police
After the strongly worded letter from the Centre, the team in Kolkata was allowed to visit parts of the city escorted by BSF and state police contingents. - April 21 - West Bengal assures full cooperation
The West Bengal government assured the Centre that it will abide by all its orders related to the ongoing lockdown and assured full cooperation to the two visiting central teams assessing the ground situation in the state. - April 22 - Canards being spread, faulty kits sent to WB: Mamata
On April 22, Mamata Banerjee once again slammed the Centre for sending teams into West Bengal and alleged that faulty testing kits were dispatched to the state."Canards are being spread every day that only a few are getting tested in Bengal for COVID-19. This is absolutely false. Faulty kits were sent to Bengal which have now been withdrawn. We didn't even get adequate testing kits," she told a press conference.
(With inputs from PTI, IANS, and ANI)
