Trinamool councillor Tabassum Ara was seen at a vaccine camp in a video.
Highlights
- The councillor said she was only holding the syringe to spread awareness
- BJP's Babul Supriyo asked if "political colour" will shield Tabassum Ara
- Incident comes amid row over a fake Covid vaccination camp in Kolkata
In fresh trouble for Mamata Banerjee-led Bengal government, the BJP has latched on to a video that shows a Trinamool councillor at a vaccine camp in Asansol, about 210 km from state capital Kolkata. She has been accused of giving a vaccine dose without any prior experience.
The video shared by the BJP's Babul Supriyo and Agnimitra Paul shows Trinamool councillor Tabassum Ara at the vaccine camp, which was held by the civic body, at Kulti. In the clip, she is given an injection by a nurse as a woman sitting on a chair awaits her dose of vaccine. The video then shows the councillor giving the shot.
Amid criticism, Tabassum Ara has since alternated between claiming she has done a nursing course in school to denying that she had actually administered a shot.
"I did not give any vaccine. I was only holding the syringe in my hand. There are a lot of people who are hesitant of taking the shots," she is heard saying a video.
"While claims are being made that I administered the dose, I was just trying to spread awareness by holding the syringe," she added.
In his tweet, Babul Supriyo tagged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and asked: "Seems like TMC govt has no control over its administrators. TMC's Tabassum Ara, a member of the administrative body of AMC, has vaccinated people herself and risked hundreds of lives... Will her political colour shield her from stern punishment? (sic)"
Asansol MLA Agnimitra Paul further slammed the party and the councillor. "TMC's manhandling of the lives of people knows no bounds.. A non-medical official, TMC's Tabassum Ara, member of administrative board of AMC, chose to vaccinate the people herself, in spite of doctors and nurses being present there... Is she even medically authorised to do so? (sic)" she tweeted.
Earlier this week, the central government had sought a report from Bengal on fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination camp in Kolkata run by a man pretending to be an IAS officer where antibiotic injections were allegedly given.
The next day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said: "The issue of the dubious vaccination camps is an isolated case. The West Bengal government is not associated with them. We took prompt action the moment we received complaints."
Apparently referring to the Health Ministry's letter to her government, Ms Banerjee claimed that such communications were not sent when vaccine doses were administered in party offices of the BJP in Gujarat.