Ladakh Face-off: Mamata Banerjee Welcomes Centre's Decision to Call All-party Meet

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday welcomed the Centre's decision to call an all-party meeting on June 19 to discuss the situation on the India-China border in Ladakh and said her party stands by the country at this hour of crisis.

"We stand by the country and our armed forces at this hour of crisis and completely support the decision to call an all-party meeting. Technically, it is a correct decision," the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief said.

"We do not want to comment on issues relating to external affairs. Let the Union government decide on it," the chief minister said, when asked about the border standoff with China.

Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a colonel, were killed in a clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night, the biggest military confrontation in over five decades that has significantly escalated the already volatile border standoff between the two neighbours.

Banerjee said the state is ready with "safe home centres" for patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms and also offered her own home at Kalighat in South Kolkata, if required to treat patients.

“As of now, we have set up total 104 safe home centres for mild COVID-19 patients. If required, we will increase the number of such centres. The decision was taken to reduce the load on hospitals where getting beds for serious patients are becoming a problem,” she said

Banerjee said patients will be under the guidance of doctors in these ‘safe home centres’ and can avail of home-cooked food.

Expressing concern over the increasing number of active cases in Bengal, she said, “The cases are increasing because people started travelling to Bengal from other parts of India. They have their family and they need to travel but I would like to request all – please consult doctor if anyone has COVID-19 symptoms. Please don’t hide."

On her name missing from the speaker’s list during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s virtual meeting, Banerjee said this is not the time for politics. "They felt that our version is not necessary, so they didn’t list. For this issue, do you think it is the time to fight? Why do you think that Bengal is weak?" she asked.

"People in Bengal live with dignity. Whether I attended one meeting or not, how does it matter? Only thing matters for me is to stand with the people in this crisis. One day the call will come from Bengal,” she added.