Defy Orders, Says BJP Leader As Mamata Banerjee "Lets Flower, Sweet, Paan Shops Open"

Union minister Babul Supriyo today criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees decision to allow opening of a big flower market amid the lockdown to control the COVID-19 pandemic and claimed that it would endanger public safety.

The senior BJP leader said the opening of the flower market would send a "wrong signal" that the state is not facing coronavirus threat.

Mr Supriyo, who had been criticising the CM in a series of posts on his Twitter handle on issues ranging from supply of testing kits to the state to alleged loot in ration items, on Saturday tweeted that by opening the Howrah flower market "the CM is endangering public safety and this reflects the dangerous state of affairs in West Bengal."

"If I say this, I will be blamed of doing politics. But you tell me if this should be allowed to happen. This is becoming an issue as the Mamata Banerjee government has allowed flower, sweet, paan (betel) shops - everything to remain open."

"This gives the wrong message to public that West Bengal has been able to defeat corona. This makes public presume that COVID-19 is a thing of past," the Union Minister of State for Forest and Environment tweeted in Hindi.

"Hum bolega toh bologe ki Politics karta hai" par aap log bataiye, aisa hona chahiye kya? Yeh issliye ho raha hai kyunki Phool, Mithai, Paan, sab kuch allow karke @MamataOfficial ji ne public ko yeh galat sanket jo de di ke "CORONA ko WB hara chuki hai- #Covid_19 ab past hai"???? https://t.co/lqg4NwQCbo

- Babul Supriyo (@SuPriyoBabul) April 10, 2020

In another tweet earlier on the day, Mr Supriyo also asked people to "defy their CM on issues like attending flower markets" which has large gathering and instead stay at home.

Attaching a photo, he claimed to be the scene of Howrah flower market on Friday evening, Mr Supriyo said, "This is Howrah Flower Market - TODAY! Cant blame them cuz the Mamata Govt has allowed it to operate! Such sad & dangerous State of affairs Plz PlZ Bengal, defy your CM & #StayHomeIndia - the worst may be yet to come Actually, the saying is Prevention is better than Cure."

The last line was a reference to Ms Banerjee's comments on creating public safety awareness at a recent press meet.

Babul Supriyo said on Friday in another tweet in Bengali, "you have the responsibility to run the state, hence please don''t take such a step of opening the flower market. If you want to be on the side of people, you should explain to them being on each other''s side means keeping physical distance. Enforce social distancing. Attend PM's meeting with Chief Ministerss."

Senior Trinamool Congress leaders could not be immediately contacted for response.