New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra came under fire from top personalities and voices of West Bengal, after she criticized NRI doctors for recently writing an open letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and voicing concern over the COVID-19 situation in the state.
In a statement, the eminent personalities, including filmmakers, actors, music composers and professors, said they are “embarrassed of such a reaction from an MP in the wake of the pandemic”.
The signatories include filmmakers Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Tarun Majumder, Kamaleswar Mukhopadhyay and Suman Mukhopadhyay, artist Wasim Kapoor, actor Sabyasachi Chakraborty, music composer Debajyoti Misra, professor Ambikesh Mahapatra and educationist Pabitra Sarkar.
In a letter to Banerjee in late April, 14 NRI doctors had cautioned the state government against “under-reporting of COVID-19 cases and deaths”, saying, “it will have a direct impact on the spread of the virus and lead to a massive crisis in the state”.
In response to the letter, Moitra had tweeted: “11 of 14 NRI docs writing to WB CM in US, 2 in UK & 1 in Ger.W/due respect you choose to live practise pay taxes elsewhere Suggest you get down to work in yr adopted countries!”
11 of 14 NRI docs writing to WB CM in US, 2 in UK & 1 in Ger
W/due respect you choose to live practise pay taxes elsewhere
US cases 2679/1mm pop, deaths 152/1mm
UK cases 2034/1 mm, dths 276/ 1 mm
India 17/1 mm, dths 0.5/1mm
Suggest you get down to work in yr adopted countries! pic.twitter.com/oSfd9paFqz— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) April 24, 2020
Criticising Moitra, the personalities said, “The petty insinuations made were uncalled for diverting attention from the real issues and unnecessarily politicising the pandemic. We are afraid that this reaction from a representative of Parliament could dissuade NRI specialists from coming forward to offer their knowledge and expertise during critical times.” “Today, more than ever state officials should rise above petty whataboutery and listen to experts in dealing with health crisis,” it added.
The personalities asserted that NRI doctors are renowned public health scientists and physicians from premier institutions in the US, UK and Germany. Several of them are engaged in data science and modelling initiatives related to COVID-19.
