A team of the Red Volunteers — an initiative spearheaded by the CPM’s student and youth wings — in Nadia’s Ranaghat rushed with aid and assistance to help the BJP’s newly Ranaghat Northwest MLA Parthasarathi Chatterjee, who developed respiratory issues on Sunday.

Since Chatterjee’s oxygen level began to drop and a physician advised immediate hospitalisation, on account of his apparent Covid-19 symptoms, the Red Volunteers — who were already helping him with oxygen — arranged for an ambulance and sent him to a major private hospital in Calcutta.

The Red Volunteers were called for help after Chatterjee’s family and colleagues in his new party could not make the necessary arrangements.

Sources in the BJP said Chatterjee had already undergone an RT-PCR test for Covid-19, the result of which was yet to be given.

On Sunday afternoon, after failed attempts by BJP workers to arrange for oxygen for Chatterjee, an aide called the Red Volunteers helpline for Ranaghat. A team arrived at his residence within half-an-hour with an oxygen cylinder.

Debashis Chakraborty, an advocate and the CPM’s Ranaghat area committee secretary leading the team, said: “We received the call to help Chatterjee with an oxygen cylinder at around 1.30pm and sent it by 2pm.

“There is no question of political rivalry in any of this. This is a mega humanitarian crisis and every effort must be made to save every life,” said Chakraborty.

“We also later arranged an ambulance for him as it appeared that his party colleagues and family members were not being able to and crucial time was getting wasted,” he added.

The incident came as a shocker to the residents of Ranaghat, as many expressed concerns about the plight of an MLA, who also happens to be the chairman of the outgoing civic body.

“If an MLA and his family find themselves unable to get help from the conventional sources, what must it be like for the common man,” wondered a local resident.

MLA Chatterjee expressed his gratitude to the Red Volunteers.

“They are the youths of my locality who rushed in to help me without any political prejudice…. I also believe in this culture and always try my best to stand by people in distress,” he said.

Last year CPM’s youth wing launched the Red Volunteers initiative to extend support to Covid-19 patients.

The Facebook group created in July 2020 has over 1.09 lakh members now, and is flooded with distress requests, over 3,000 daily. Praises also flood the page.

The unprecedented debacle of the Left in the Assembly election, with zero seats for the first time since Independence, has not been able to dampen spirits or stymie the flow of aid and assistance.