On Sunday (April 2), Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers hit the streets to celebrate the victory of the party in complete violation of Coronavirus protocols and social distancing guidelines.
As per reports, the jubilant celebration on the street by TMC workers began as initial election result trends suggested the victory of the incumbent government in West Bengal. At one point, when the TMC tally crossed 200, party workers gathered in the streets in Kalighat in Kolkata. In visuals shared by ANI, they were seen dancing to the tune of loud music, playing ‘Holi’, waving party flags, and breaching Coronavirus protocols.
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1388749913463296001?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwVisuals shared by India Today journalist Rahul Kanwal also showed a grim picture of the social distancing violation in the State. TMC workers were seen flouting SOPs right outside the residence of party supremo Mamata Banerjee. Interestingly, the cops deployed at the site were seen managing the traffic flow instead of stopping the TMC supporters from celebrating. This is despite the fact that a complete lockdown has been enforced in the State capital of Kolkata. The party workers were spotted without masks and standing in close vicinity of each other.
On being reminded by an India Today reporter that the Election Commission (EC) has barred the political party from mass gatherings and celebrations, a TMC worker justified, “We are not celebrating. Others requested me to put on some colours and I did. A little bit of celebration here and there cannot be stopped. If the public wants to celebrate, what can I do about it?” The TMC workers were also seen blocking the roads and disrupting traffic flow.
https://twitter.com/rahulkanwal/status/1388759146011389953?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwThe development comes amidst growing Coronavirus cases in the State. As of May 2, West Bengal has reported 11,66,59 active cases and a total of 11,447 fatalities.