The ruling Trinamool Congress in
West Bengal and the Raj Bhawan engaged in a war of words on Saturday after Jagdeep Dhankhar accused the state government of conducting a "COVID-19 coverup operation", drawing a sharp riposte from the TMC which accused him of "transforming the governor's house into the state BJP headquarters".
Dhankhar alleged that the Centre has information that the state has "931 cases" while the West Bengal government's Thursday's data said it has a total of "572 active cases".
However, it is not clear how Raj Bhawan got "931 cases", as the Union ministry of health and family welfare website said the total confirmed cases in the state are 795, of which 139 have been discharged and 33 died.
He also claimed that the health sector and the Public Distribution System (PDS) are in a "critical mode".
The TMC was quick to hit back by saying the "Governor has taken up the mantle of the opposition party in the state".
"Give up 'Covid-19 data cover up operation @MamataOfficial and share it transparently. Health bulletin 30/4 No of Active Covid cases 572. No health bulletin on May 1 !! Information to central Government No of cases 931," Dhankhar tweeted.
The state government did not issue any bulletin on the status of coronavirus in the state on Friday.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Dhankhar has been up in arms against the state government over its handling of the COVID pandemic.
Later, Dhankhar also urged all senior police and administrative officers to be fair in their duties and avoid any political affiliation or stance.
"I am sure all concerned in the state govt will ensure that the needy get the full benefit of free ration from Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. There should be no corruption, diversion, political interference or controlling this. Benefit should reach poor & not the coffers of black marketers," the governor said in another statement.
Senior minister Firhad Hakim returned the fire saying, "He (Dhankhar) has turned Raj Bhawan into the state BJP headquarters. There can be differences between the government and the governor, but words like these were never used by any governor before. He is acting like a spokesperson of the BJP."
Hakim, a member of the state cabinet committee on Covid-19, said instead of functioning as a governor, he should start working as a BJP leader.
"He is regularly attacking the state government. But does he have the guts to call up the central government and ask them why did they send faulty testing kits to Bengal? The answer is no, because he will lose his job in that case," Hakim said.
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