Amid the ongoing tussle betweenthe West Bengal government and the opposition BJP over COVID-19 figures, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said eight more people have tested positive for the disease, taking the number of active cases in the state to 69.According to the data provided by the state government, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state -- taking into account the deaths and recoveries -- stands at 87.The Union Health Ministry, however, stated that the figure has touched 91.Banerjee also said the death toll in the state has risen to five from three.As many as 303 Tablighi Jamaat members, including the ones that had attended the programme at Nizamuddin in New Delhi, have been placed under quarantine at a Haj tower in the Rajarhat area of the North 24 Parganas district.The chief minister also said that her government has identified seven COVID-19 hotspots in the state and is taking necessary measures to break the chain of transmission.An ugly spat had broken out on Twitter between the TMC and the BJP over the COVID-19 death toll in the state, with the saffron camp's IT Cell chief Amit Malviya on Monday accusing the Bengal government of "hiding" cases and the ruling party hitting back, saying "a person with Ph.D on fake news should not talk about data authenticity".Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha had last week told a press meet that the state government was not hiding or suppressing any fact or figure in connection with the disease.
