Integrity Score 210
No Records Found
No Records Found
No Records Found
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi's decision to cancel all his rallies in West Bengal is merely symbolic than of any significance given that his party is a small player in the state politics.
Over the years, the Congress has been relegated to the political margins of the state. It has struck an alliance with the Left parties and the Islamic Secular Front in the current elections.
Gandhi has so far addressed only one public rally in Goalpokhor in North Dinajpur on April 14 with five phases of elections already over.
Though Gandhi's programme was not finalised, there were requests from state leaders for him to address two rallies before the seventh (April 26) and eight (April 29) phases, particularly in Murshidabad and Malda.
But on Sunday he announced the suspension of his political rallies in West Bengal because of the deteriorating Covid-19 situation and appealed to other parties to reconsider organising large gatherings.
Gandhi's move is likely to put pressure on other parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress.
“In view of the Covid situation, I am suspending all my public rallies in West Bengal. I would advise all political leaders to think deeply about the consequences of holding large public rallies under the current circumstances,” he tweeted.
Within hours, West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee too decided to cancel her rallies.
"Mamata Banerjee will NOT campaign in Kolkata anymore. Only one ‘symbolic’ meeting on the last day of campaigning in the city on April 26. Slashes time for all her election rallies in all districts. Restricted to just 30 minutes," tweeted Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien.
The Left Front had already announced that it will not hold public rallies due to the surge in Covid-19 cases.
However, the BJP is yet to take any such decision.
In fact, the social media on Sunday was abuzz with some critical posts on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for appreciating large crowds at his rally in Asansol (West Bardhaman district) despite the coronavirus rampaging through the country.
Home minister Amit Shah has been holding rallies and public meetings continuously for the past few weeks.