Oxygen from Bengal is being diverted to Uttar Pradesh without keeping in mind the state’s need: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that the Centre is depriving West Bengal of oxygen supply even in these trying times. “I don’t want to do politics around this critical time, but the Centre is diverting our oxygen supply to other states,” Banerjee alleged at a virtual meeting. The BJP though denied this.

Banerjee said that the government is trying to increase its oxygen supply from the current 20,000 oxygen cylinders. At the virtual meeting, she said that there were 15,000 oxygen cylinders earlier, and it had been increased yesterday, making it 20,000 so far. She said talks were on to increase the supply over the coming few days, but added that the Centre was trying to deprive Bengal of its oxygen supply by diverting the chain elsewhere.

Yesterday, the Trinamool Congress had said in a statement that the Centre has asked 200 metric tonnes of oxygen produced in the state to be sent outside West Bengal. However, considering the rising number of cases in the state, in the coming days, there will be a requirement of 450 metric tonnes everyday, and thus Bengal will face a crisis if oxygen is sent elsewhere.

Banerjee today said that there had been instructions to send oxygen to Uttar Pradesh from where Bengal sourced its supply. “There is no medicine, no oxygen in the market. Why are they taking the oxygen away? Why such attitude towards Bengal?” she asked, and added: “We have sent a letter to the Centre on this.” She said that the situation across the country was due to a “total failure” of the government at the Centre. “They have not sent any instructions to the states on future plans when the number of cases went down, and on the contrary they sent hundreds of Central paramilitary personnel and small and big leaders came here from outside and spread the infection,” she said.