News Analysis India

Tag: Chief Ministers

  • ‘Only CMs of BJP-ruled states allowed to speak’: Mamata calls PM Modi’s COVID meeting ‘super-flop’

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday complained that state chief ministers were reduced to being puppets and not allowed to speak at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting on the COVID-19 situation with district magistrates and officials despite being invited.

    Alleging that the Prime Ministers meeting was a “super flop”, Banerjee said that she along with her counterparts from many states were not allowed to speak, which was akin to insulting them.

    She also claimed that only CMs of the BJP-ruled states were allowed to speak at the meeting, while others were “reduced to puppets”.

    The Prime Ministers interaction was a planned event with district magistrates on the COVID-19 situation. However, several chief ministers, including those from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, where these officers are posted, were also invited.

    “This was a casual and super flop meeting. Only CMs of BJP-ruled states were allowed to speak and others were reduced to (being) puppets.

    “We feel insulted and humiliated. This is an attempt to bulldoze the federal structure of the country. PM Modi is so insecure that he did not listen to us,” Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’.

    ALSO READ | BJP says Mamata Banerjee tried to derail PM Modi’s meeting with district magistrates

    BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari counter-attacked his former mentor, tweeting today our respected CM has once again shown her total disinterest in administration.

    True to her style, she has politicised a meeting Honble PM held with district officials, where grassroot level practices to fight COVID-19 were being discussed.

    Adhikari complained that while Banerjee had skipped several meetings with the PM, she now hijacks a PM-DM meet to say she was denied a chance to speak.

    Banerjee however complained that the prime minister neither asked how West Bengal is handling the COVID situation and nor enquire about the situation stock of vaccines or oxygen.

    “There was not a single question from the PM about the ‘black fungus’,” she said, adding that four such cases have been detected in the state.

    Referring to the PM’s claim that the COVID-19 caseload is reducing in the country, Banerjee asked, “If the total number of cases is declining, why are so many deaths due to the coronavirus infection being reported.”

  • PM Modi to chair council of ministers meeting on Friday, COVID situation likely to be discussed

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Amid the COVID-19 crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of the Union Council of Ministers on Friday to discuss the prevailing situation in the country, sources said.

    The meeting, to be held virtually on Friday morning, could also be attended by some top government officials besides Union ministers, they said.

    This will be the first meeting of the council of ministers in the aftermath of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sources said.

    They said during the meeting the ongoing vaccination drive, which has now been opened for those in the 18-45 age group, could be discussed along with a presentation.

    In the meeting, ministers could be asked reach out to people to look into their issues, the sources said.

    Prime Minister Modi has held several rounds of meetings with chief ministers and top government officials to deliberate on the COVID-19 situation.

    He has also been holding meetings with pharma industry leaders, oxygen suppliers, heads of the three armed forces and other dignitaries to discuss how to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Mass vaccination against Corona from January 16, Chief Ministers to meet with PM Modi

    The world’s largest vaccination campaign against the corona virus will soon begin in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with the Chief Ministers of all states and union territories on Monday to finalize the outline of this campaign. In the meeting scheduled at 4 pm in front of PM Modi, all the states will present the details of their preparations going on regarding vaccination campaign and other issues.

    The meeting of the Chief Ministers with the PM will be done through video conferencing and this high level meeting is important today as Corona vaccination campaign is starting from January 16 in the country. This will be the first meeting of the Prime Minister with the Chief Ministers after the Controller General of India Pharmaceutical has given permission for the emergency use of Kovishield of Serum Institute and Kovaxin by Bharat Biotech.