Dip in Ganga before elections, but bodies were allowed to float during pandemic: Mamata Banerjee

People take a dip in Ganga and sit inside a temple ahead of elections, but in times of pandemic, bodies float in the Ganga, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken a dip in the Ganga in Varanasi on Monday ahead of inaugurating the Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor. Modi had also offered prayers at the Kedarnath temple in the first week of November and unveiled a 12-feet tall statue of Shri Adi Shankaracharya in poll-bound Uttarakhand.

“In time of elections, they take a dip in holy Ganga or sit inside the temple in Uttarakhand. In times of pandemic, when people were dying and bodies were floating, making the holy Ganga polluted and unholy. No proper cremation was offered to the people,” Banerjee said, without naming Modi, at a joint rally with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party leaders at Panjim on Tuesday.

“It has been found by the Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team today that the Lakhimpur Kheri incident was planned. A BJP minister’s son was behind the incident,” Banerjee said, while demanding the resignations of the UP CM and Union home minister. Modi should have allowed Parliament to discussion the issue, she said.

All religions should be respected in a country which has several people belonging to different minority communities, she said. “The main aim in Goa is to oust and finish the BJP in the state. A united fight is needed against the BJP. We are fighting together with MGP, which is a historic party in the state. Goa will be ruled by the son of the state, if voted to power,” Banerjee said. Claiming that the Trinamool-MGP was the alternative to BJP, she urged people not to allow division of votes. Banerjee also participated in another public meeting at Assanora.