Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said her government had quarantined over 200 participants in the Nizamuddin Markaz congregation “quickly and quietly” and attacked the Centre for allowing the event.

The Bengal chief minister said the state government had begun the work late last month as soon as it had received information from the Centre about Covid-19 patients at the congregation.

“What we quickly and quietly did in six hours, I am telling you now… 10-12 days ago. One hundred and eight foreigners — some from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar — who had gone to that event, we took them to our quarantine centres. They have been quarantined for 10 days, being monitored by the health department and the administration,” Mamata told a news conference at the state secretariat.

“Indians from Bengal who had gone there, 69 of them are also there with them…. Overall, a total of over 200 such people have been quarantined,” she added.

The chief minister placed the blame squarely on the Narendra Modi government for allowing the congregation.

“I had said this in the past, the Union ministry of external affairs is not with the states, nor is the Union home ministry…. A lot of people gathered at Nizamuddin. They gathered only because the event was allowed and they were allowed to attend it. Had action been taken from the very start, then…. I don’t want to turn this into a political question-and-answer. I am choosing not to discuss it in detail,” she said.

Mamata urged “those” trying to communalise the Markaz attendees being detected with the coronavirus and polarise the incident to first acquaint themselves with the facts.

“Those going around saying ‘this didn’t happen, that didn’t happen, they made it happen’… still making these statements. To them, I say, please don’t, without knowing figures, without knowing facts…. There are some making ultopalta (wayward) comments regarding this. Some are even making communal statements,” she said.

Mamata held a section of the media responsible for playing into the hands of those seeking to communalise the Markaz event out of political opportunism.

“A lot of things the Centre and the state governments have to maintain secrecy for. If I see some piece of news could generate panic in society, why will I go there? I will try my best to ensure the news will be humane, standing by the people, helping them,” she said.

“Some of you have been giving out misleading news… regarding the Nizamuddin event and those who went there,” she added.