Mamata banerjee mocks Swachh Bharat mission over Sri Lankan players wearing masks

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee mocked the BJP-led Central government on Tuesday for its Swachh Bharat scheme pointing out the high pollution level in New Delhi which led to Sri Lankan cricketers wearing masks during the third Test against India at Feroze Shah Kotla.

“What happened to Swachh Bharat Mission? We all know that charity begins at home. Players of the Sri Lanka cricket team were wearing masks on the field at the capital of the country. There is so much pollution at the capital. From political pollution to air pollution. People need masks for everything from eating to playing,” she said while addressing a gathering organised by the minority department of the state at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here in Central Kolkata.

Negating the claims of BJP leaders that she had rechristened Swachh Bharat Mission as ‘Nirmal Bangla’ in West Bengal, Mamata maintains that Nirmal Bangla was launched a lot earlier than Swachh Bharat which was rolled out on October 2, 2014.

On Monday too, Mamata, interacting with mediapersons at Nabanna, the state secretariat, said, “Delhi should control pollution. I am saying this because I am ashamed of it. It was an international game and international players were playing with masks on. Pollution problem is getting bad to worse everyday.”