Debasree Chaudhuri denied the allegations as "baseless and politically motivated" (File)
Union Minister and Raiganj MP Debasree Chaudhuri, who had stepped out into the streets to create awareness on the COVID-19 pandemic, has drawn flak from opposition parties for allegedly flouting the social distancing norms, following her return from Delhi on March 23.
The minister, however, denied the allegations as "baseless and politically motivated".
Ms Chaudhuri, the Union minister of state for women and child welfare, had ventured out on streets on April 2 to sensitise people on the need to stay indoors.
The video footage of Thursdays incident, which went viral on social media, showed the MP distributing masks among local people in Raiganj.
According to sources, the minister had returned to Kolkata from Delhi on March 23. She had travelled to her constituency by car after eight days, on March 31.
Criticising the minister, Forward Bloc leader Ali Imran Ramz said Ms Chaudhuri should not have ignored the government's 14-day quarantine directive.
"Moreover, she tied masks around people's faces, flouting the social-distancing norms. We have informed the district magistrate," he said.