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NEW DELHI: Mamata Banerjee, who has weathered several storms in her long political career, finds herself cornered and isolated over the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata’s R G Kar Hospital.
While the BJP has been mounting relentless pressure on the West Bengal chief minister, her allies from the opposition INDIA bloc have been divided in their response. The Bengal unit of the Congress and the Left have taken to the streets against the Trinamool government even as other INDIA bloc partners have been cautious in their support for the embattled Trinamool chief.
Mamata, who had yesterday unleashed a scathing attack at the BJP over the ongoing protests and had even targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seemed to have gone on the defensive today as the saffron party accused her of threatening the striking doctors.
Addressing a rally organised by the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad, the West Bengal chief minister had on Wednesday urged the agitating junior doctors of Bengal to urgently consider returning to duty and said she doesn’t want to lodge FIRs against the striking doctors in consideration of their future careers.
Agitating doctors interpreted the chief minister’s remark as a “veiled threat” and rejected her appeal to join work.
Targeted by BJP over her remarks, Mamata asserted that she did not threaten junior doctors at state-run hospitals, who have been continuing cease-work for 21 days now. She said accusations that have come from certain quarters of her threatening the agitating junior doctors are “completely false” and part of a “malicious disinformation campaign”.
“Let me most emphatically clarify that I have not uttered a single word against the (medical etc.) students or their movements. I totally support their movement. Their movement is genuine. I never threatened them, as some people are accusing me of doing. This allegation is completely false,” she wrote on X.
However, she justified her remarks against the BJP, which has been spearheading the agitation against the case. A BJP delegation met governor CV Ananda Bose today and requested him to protect the rights of people in Bengal and take whatever measures are necessary to lift the state out of this dire situation.
Mamata wrote, “I have spoken against BJP. I have spoken against them because, with the support of the Government of India, they are threatening the democracy in our state and trying to create anarchy. With support from the Centre, they are trying to create lawlessness and I have raised my voice against them.”
The chief minister also issued a clarification with respect to her “snap back” message to her supporters against “the conspirators who need to be unmasked”.
“I also clarify that the phrase (“phonsh kara”) that I had used in my speech yesterday is a quote from Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa. The legendary saint had said that occasionally there is need to raise one’s voice. When there are crimes and criminal offences, voice of protest has to be raised. My speech on that point was a direct allusion to the great Ramakrishnite saying,” she posted on her social media timeline.
At the rally, Mamata had said: “The time has come to resist and protest when you are insulted and maligned with false propaganda. Although I never promote violence, when faced with such ugly attacks, do not take it lying down and snap back. How you respond is up to you.”
Following the remarks, the BJP had accused her of threatening opposition parties by abandoning her previous slogan of ‘badla noy, badal chai’ (no revenge, only change) in response to alleged insults from the opposition.
West Bengal Congress holds protest
And its not just the BJP that has been mounting pressure on her. The Congress and the Left, her political rivals in the state, have also hit the streets against her government.
The Congress today took out a rally led by state president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary from College Square to Shyambazar five-point crossing in north Kolkata, close to RG Kar Hospital.
Chowdhury told reporters that Mamata Banerjee is scared of the swelling public anger and mounting protests over her alleged attempt to divert the probe and shield the real culprits.
“She has even tried to threaten the agitating junior doctors of RG Kar (Hospital) who are aggrieved over the incident and blatant attempts to cover up the heinous crime by the administration subsequently. But the people of Bengal, who include the agitating junior doctors, are not to be intimidated by her or her party leaders,” he said.
And while the Congress at the state level is protesting, its national leadership has been guarded in its response. Rahul Gandhi did make one mention of Kolkata incident initially, which evoked a very strong Trinamool response.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had last week come out in support of Mamata and had accused the BJP of doing politics over the rape and murder case.
“She is a woman herself, she understands the pain of a woman,” Akhilesh had said in Mamata’s defence. Attacking the BJP, he had said, “The BJP is doing politics in this matter, which it should not. Doctors are protesting over this incident but the BJP is doing politics.’
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule had earlier reacted cautiously to the incident and had said she believed that Mamata Banerjee will initiate quick action and the victim’s family will be delivered justice.
“A lot of such incidents happen across the country and we condemn all of them. We believe that Mamata Banerjee will take action quickly and the family must get justice through fast-track court. We couldn’t save our daughter from this incident but such incidents must not happen again…” Supriya Sule had said.
‘Country’s outrage not just about Kolkata incident’
When President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday reacted to the Kolkata rape-murder horror and said “enough is enough”, both AAP and Congress were quicl to point out that the President would do well in articulating the outrage for the whole country and not just one region or state.
Declaring that “enough is enough”, President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said it is time for India to wake up to the “perversion” of crimes against women and counter the mindset that sees women as “less powerful, less capable, less intelligent”.
Reacting to the President Murmu‘s remarks, Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, “I welcome this statement and this intervention by the President. The entire country is outraged. So it is natural that the President represents the outrage the country is feeling.”
“But the country’s outrage is not just about Kolkata incident, but they are also about Farrukhabad, Kolhapur, Badlapur, Pune, Ratnagiri, Jodhpur, Katni, there are so many instances. In UP, everyday you hear about one instance or the other,” he told PTI.
“The president would do well in representing and articulating the outrage of the country felt for across the country and not just one region or state,” Khera said.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh said “With all due respect, the President’s statement shows a selective approach. The Kolkata incident is shameful and saddening but it is wrong to indicate that other parts of the country are safe.”
Clearly, Mamata would welcome all these statements but she would have hoped for more open support in her fight against a very aggressive BJP, which is going all out to corner the West Bengal chief minister.
While the BJP has been mounting relentless pressure on the West Bengal chief minister, her allies from the opposition INDIA bloc have been divided in their response. The Bengal unit of the Congress and the Left have taken to the streets against the Trinamool government even as other INDIA bloc partners have been cautious in their support for the embattled Trinamool chief.
Mamata, who had yesterday unleashed a scathing attack at the BJP over the ongoing protests and had even targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seemed to have gone on the defensive today as the saffron party accused her of threatening the striking doctors.
Addressing a rally organised by the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad, the West Bengal chief minister had on Wednesday urged the agitating junior doctors of Bengal to urgently consider returning to duty and said she doesn’t want to lodge FIRs against the striking doctors in consideration of their future careers.
Agitating doctors interpreted the chief minister’s remark as a “veiled threat” and rejected her appeal to join work.
Targeted by BJP over her remarks, Mamata asserted that she did not threaten junior doctors at state-run hospitals, who have been continuing cease-work for 21 days now. She said accusations that have come from certain quarters of her threatening the agitating junior doctors are “completely false” and part of a “malicious disinformation campaign”.
“Let me most emphatically clarify that I have not uttered a single word against the (medical etc.) students or their movements. I totally support their movement. Their movement is genuine. I never threatened them, as some people are accusing me of doing. This allegation is completely false,” she wrote on X.
However, she justified her remarks against the BJP, which has been spearheading the agitation against the case. A BJP delegation met governor CV Ananda Bose today and requested him to protect the rights of people in Bengal and take whatever measures are necessary to lift the state out of this dire situation.
Mamata wrote, “I have spoken against BJP. I have spoken against them because, with the support of the Government of India, they are threatening the democracy in our state and trying to create anarchy. With support from the Centre, they are trying to create lawlessness and I have raised my voice against them.”
The chief minister also issued a clarification with respect to her “snap back” message to her supporters against “the conspirators who need to be unmasked”.
“I also clarify that the phrase (“phonsh kara”) that I had used in my speech yesterday is a quote from Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa. The legendary saint had said that occasionally there is need to raise one’s voice. When there are crimes and criminal offences, voice of protest has to be raised. My speech on that point was a direct allusion to the great Ramakrishnite saying,” she posted on her social media timeline.
At the rally, Mamata had said: “The time has come to resist and protest when you are insulted and maligned with false propaganda. Although I never promote violence, when faced with such ugly attacks, do not take it lying down and snap back. How you respond is up to you.”
Following the remarks, the BJP had accused her of threatening opposition parties by abandoning her previous slogan of ‘badla noy, badal chai’ (no revenge, only change) in response to alleged insults from the opposition.
West Bengal Congress holds protest
And its not just the BJP that has been mounting pressure on her. The Congress and the Left, her political rivals in the state, have also hit the streets against her government.
The Congress today took out a rally led by state president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary from College Square to Shyambazar five-point crossing in north Kolkata, close to RG Kar Hospital.
Chowdhury told reporters that Mamata Banerjee is scared of the swelling public anger and mounting protests over her alleged attempt to divert the probe and shield the real culprits.
“She has even tried to threaten the agitating junior doctors of RG Kar (Hospital) who are aggrieved over the incident and blatant attempts to cover up the heinous crime by the administration subsequently. But the people of Bengal, who include the agitating junior doctors, are not to be intimidated by her or her party leaders,” he said.
And while the Congress at the state level is protesting, its national leadership has been guarded in its response. Rahul Gandhi did make one mention of Kolkata incident initially, which evoked a very strong Trinamool response.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had last week come out in support of Mamata and had accused the BJP of doing politics over the rape and murder case.
“She is a woman herself, she understands the pain of a woman,” Akhilesh had said in Mamata’s defence. Attacking the BJP, he had said, “The BJP is doing politics in this matter, which it should not. Doctors are protesting over this incident but the BJP is doing politics.’
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule had earlier reacted cautiously to the incident and had said she believed that Mamata Banerjee will initiate quick action and the victim’s family will be delivered justice.
“A lot of such incidents happen across the country and we condemn all of them. We believe that Mamata Banerjee will take action quickly and the family must get justice through fast-track court. We couldn’t save our daughter from this incident but such incidents must not happen again…” Supriya Sule had said.
‘Country’s outrage not just about Kolkata incident’
When President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday reacted to the Kolkata rape-murder horror and said “enough is enough”, both AAP and Congress were quicl to point out that the President would do well in articulating the outrage for the whole country and not just one region or state.
Declaring that “enough is enough”, President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said it is time for India to wake up to the “perversion” of crimes against women and counter the mindset that sees women as “less powerful, less capable, less intelligent”.
Reacting to the President Murmu‘s remarks, Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, “I welcome this statement and this intervention by the President. The entire country is outraged. So it is natural that the President represents the outrage the country is feeling.”
“But the country’s outrage is not just about Kolkata incident, but they are also about Farrukhabad, Kolhapur, Badlapur, Pune, Ratnagiri, Jodhpur, Katni, there are so many instances. In UP, everyday you hear about one instance or the other,” he told PTI.
“The president would do well in representing and articulating the outrage of the country felt for across the country and not just one region or state,” Khera said.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh said “With all due respect, the President’s statement shows a selective approach. The Kolkata incident is shameful and saddening but it is wrong to indicate that other parts of the country are safe.”
Clearly, Mamata would welcome all these statements but she would have hoped for more open support in her fight against a very aggressive BJP, which is going all out to corner the West Bengal chief minister.
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