The Bengal chief minister said on Wednesday that communalisation of the Nizamuddin Markaz congregation was “condemnable” and there was no need for worry over people who had contracted the novel coronavirus at the event.
Mamata Banerjee, who broached the subject herself at a news conference at the state secretariat, said there was no need for “sensationalisation”.
“About Nizamuddin, some questions have been raised… about who all went, etc…. First of all, there is no need for such sensationalisation,” she said at Nabanna.
“There is no reason for worry. There is no reason for panic…. Most importantly, there is no reason for wicked activities in the name of religion, weaving communal elements into the narrative over this… it is condemnable,” she added.
Nearly 2,000 people, including some from other nations, had participated in the March 13-15 congregation when the nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of Covid-19 had not been announced yet.
In a bid to underscore the lack of clarity from the Centre over the pandemic and the extent of its spread in India, Mamata urged state chief secretary Rajiva Sinha to cite two letters sent to the state by Union health secretary Preeti Sudan on March 12 and 13.
“Even on March 13, (the day the Markaz began), the government of India wrote to us: ‘There is no epidemic of Covid-19 in the country’. On March 13, the government of India wrote to us saying this…. Preeti Sudan’s signature in the letter,” said Sinha.
Mamata immediately added: “Why we are pointing this out… if we had known before, it would have been good.”
“We could have taken more precautions much earlier. But we were informed very late. Despite that, those who went (to the Nizamuddin event) from here (Bengal), we have been quarantining them and they have been extending nothing but cooperation,” said the chief minister.
She said 54 people who had taken part in the congregation — including 40 foreign nationals from Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand — were currently in quarantine in Bengal.
“I am asking the remainder of those who went, if any… those who mingled, if at all… come report to the government. We will quarantine you, or isolate you at home, depending on the situation. No need to fear,” said Mamata.
“From the information we got, we have already quarantined 54…. The Centre had told us about 71 who attended and are currently in Bengal…. We got reports of one from Bankura, two from North Dinajpur and two from Mograhat.”