Trinamul Congress’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday said all kinds of political, religious and social gatherings must be deferred for two months in the wake of the rise in the number of Covid-19 cases.

As the Diamond Harbour MP’s stand appeared to be an apparent deviation from the position that Trinamul and the Mamata Banerjee government have adopted so far, particularly in the backdrop of the forthcoming civic polls and Gangasagar Mela, Abhishek said he was only expressing his “personal views”.

“There will be no political gathering in the coming two months. Trinamul, CPM, BJP, Congress whichever party it might be…no political gathering till February 28… along with this, no religious gathering…with a gathering of 100, 150, 200 or 400 people will not take place…When you need to bring a situation under control at places, you need to take some tough decisions. If the people are saved, everything will be saved,” Abhishek said while interacting with journalists on the sidelines of a Covid-19 management administrative meeting in his Lok Sabha constituency.

Asked if what he said also applied to the forthcoming civic polls, the Trinamul leader said he would not comment as the matter was sub-judice. The Bengal government and the State Election Commission were looking into it, he added. In the same breath, he went on to say: “It’s my personal view that no religious gatherings or political campaigns should be held in the coming two months.”

According to multiple sources in the party, while Banerjee’s statements might appear as clear deviations from the government’s stand, it was rather a well-considered move by the MP.

A realignment of the party’s and the government’s stands in relation with the rapid spread of coronavirus cases might be on the cards, the sources said.

“Senior leaders have already been discussing what steps should be taken by the party and by the government in order to handle the situation more seriously than it is being done already. What Banerjee said on Saturday was to test the waters and public reaction to his statement,” a senior Trinamul leader said.

Abhishek also said: “It is my personal opinion that we would need to stop celebrating Christmas, New Year, Durga Puja, Kali Puja, this and that and must rise above to dedicate ourselves to save the state and the society….”

“If the lives of the people are saved everything will happen slowly in the future.”

However, Opposition parties believe that Banerjee is trying an “image makeover of himself and the party” amidst allegations that the state government has failed to control the alarming Covid-19 situation.

CPM veteran and former Diamond Harbour MP Samik Lahiri alleged that the Trinamul leadership and the government were responsible for the spread of Covid in Bengal.

“At least 25,000 people had gathered to celebrate the MP Cup on January 1 (in Maheshtala). Till January 5, all fairs in the state were organised. What is the point of bringing 2 lakh people to South 24-Parganas for the Gangasagar Mela? Can’t it be stopped for a year? After making all these mistakes, now, you’re trying course correction,” Lahiri said.

BJP’s national vice-president and Midnapore MP Dilip Ghosh said there was no point in issuing statements just to please the people. “If he (Banerjee) thinks that polls mustn’t be held then why isn’t he saying stop polls...Or is he trying to please the people and enjoy his power at the same time,” Ghosh said.