How Bengal BJP is dealing with Coronavirus scare: avoids large gatherings, distributes masks with party logo

It started with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing his decision to cancel the Holi meet this year due to Coronavirus outbreak, in order to avoid large meetings. He had cited advice from experts as the reason for the decision.
The Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal has followed suit by cancelling large gatherings ahead of the civic polls due to the Coronavirus scare in the country. The step was taken after BJP’s national president JP Nadda asked all the state unit presidents to not organise large Holi gatherings this year, a party leader said. The annual Holi gathering organised every year outside the party’s state headquarters in Kolkata’s Murlidhar Sen Lane was cancelled subsequently.
For political parties, Doljatra and Holi are important events ahead of the civic polls because it gives them the opportunity to interact with large number of people.

After the PM, Union Home Miniter Amit Shah, BJP’s national president JP Nadda and other senior party leaders also announced that they too won’t participate in big Holi gatherings this year.
Several BJP leaders in West Bengal including Sayantan Basu and Mukul Roy have subsequently cancelled their big meetings in the state over the week. However, small gatherings haven’t been cancelled by the party leaders. All state leaders are thus organising smaller meetings with limited number of people.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders in Kolkata have started distributing masks among people. The masks have “save from corona virus infection” and “Modi Ji” written on them along with BJP’s emblem. Experts however say that it is more important to wash hands if one has not contacted the virus. Only if a person has contacted Coronavirus, will wearing masks help to prevent its spread to other people. However the BJP leaders are not going into the details and would much rather use the opportunity to spread the party’s name among people.