KOLKATA: The death toll following heavy rainfall and landslides in the hills, Terai, and Dooars regions in North Bengal till Tuesday morning has risen to 36, as per the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and district administrations in Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri.
With the weather conditions improving since Monday morning, there has been substantial progress in relief and rescue operations. Several affected people have been shifted to safe places, and tourists have been evacuated from the affected areas.
Meanwhile, the BJP has questioned whether the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had the moral right to question the Prime Minister over the latter’s criticism of the West Bengal government and Trinamool Congress following the attack on a BJP Lok Sabha member and party legislator, allegedly by the ruling party activists, on Monday afternoon.
On Monday night, Mamata Banerjee issued a counter-statement accusing the Prime Minister of politicising the natural disaster in North Bengal and claimed that he chose to blame the Trinamool Congress and the West Bengal government outright without any verified evidence, legal inquiry, or administrative report.