West Bengal: BJP stops big rallies, events with immediate effect

Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 19

Amid the rising COVID-crisis, the BJP has decided to stop with immediate effect big rallies, public meetings, and poll-related events in West Bengal. It is very important to break the chain of COVID, the party said.

However, small election meetings with a gathering of not more than 500 persons will continue in the state where the BJP is engaged in a bitter fight with the ruling TMC.

“Assembly elections are going on in West Bengal and the completion of the Constitutional and democratic process is also very important. Keeping this in mind, BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda decided that small public meetings of central leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be held in which not more than 500 persons will be present,”  the party said, adding that the meetings will be held in open spaces keeping in mind all the COVID guidelines.

The BJP has also set a target of distributing six crore masks and sanitisers in the state.

Three phases of polling are still left in the state and Opposition parties, including the ruling TMC and the Congress, have charged Prime Minister Narendra Modi with “shocking callousness” for addressing rallies in Bengal “instead of staying in Delhi” to handle the pandemic.

Nadda, who along with Home Minister Amit Shah, is leading the BJP’s fight in Bengal on Sunday also asked party functionaries to launch “apna booth corona mukt” (Our booth is free of corona) campaign across the country.

Addressing national office-bearers and state unit chiefs, Nadda asked state units to set up help desks and helpline numbers and asked them to take measures to help COVID-19 patients in hospitals. Party members have been asked to distribute masks and sanitisers, and coordinate with the local administration to launch a campaign for plasma donation and raise awareness in people about following Covid-19 guidelines.

Nadda said under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, 130 crore countrymen have faced every challenge with a strong will and will overcome these difficult times as well.