Union Minister and Raiganj MPDebasree Chaudhuri, who had stepped out into the streets to create awareness on the COVID-19 pandemic, has drawn flak from opposition parties for allegedly flouting the social distancing norms, following her return from Delhi on March 23.The minister, however, denied the allegations as "baseless and politically motivated".Chaudhuri, the Union minister of state for women and child welfare, had ventured out on streets on April 2 to sensitise people on the need to stay indoors.The video footage of Thursdays incident, which went viral on social media, showed the MP distributing masks among local people in Raiganj.According to sources, the minister had returned to Kolkata from Delhi on March 23. She had travelled to her constituency by car after eight days, on March 31.Criticising the minister, Forward Bloc leader Ali Imran Ramz said Chaudhuri should not have ignored the government's 14-day quarantine directive."Moreover, she tied masks around people's faces, flouting the social-distancing norms. We have informed the district magistrate," he said.Ramz's views were echoed by Congress MLA Mohit Sengupta, who said, Chaudhuri should not be allowed to break rules and get away with it."Just because she is a minister, it does not mean that she can do whatever she pleases," Sengupta said.In her defence, the Raiganj MP said she had followed all safety norms during the awareness drive."I went out to create awareness on the pandemic. Those who were out on the roads, I gave them masks by maintaining proper distance... I don't want to create a controversy on this issue. I have followed all norms, she said.Chaudhuri also claimed that she was being targeted by opposition parties as she belonged to the saffron camp."I would like to point out just one thing - when the chief minister visits different places, there is nothing wrong about it. Questions are being raised now as this drive was undertaken by me, a BJP leader," she added.
