Controversy Continue over Mamata Banerjee Allegedly Issuing Threats to Striking Junior Doctors

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Aug 29: Deliberately twisting the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s Wednesday’s speech to keep the controversy alive, the BJP IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya on Thursday claimed that she by making a clarification that she did not issue any threats to the protesting junior doctors was actually “digging herself deeper in the hole.”

Ms Banerjee on Thursday asserted that she did nor threatened the junior doctors at the state run hospitals who have ceased work for the last 21 days continuing their protest against the rape and murder of the 31 year old trainee postgraduate doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. Taking to the social media platform X she claimed that some media organisations were running a “malicious disinformation campaign” against her and maintained that some people accused her of threatening the agitating junior doctors, which was “completely false.”

“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 said on X.

Addressing a rally organised by the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad, Ms Banerjee had on Wednesday had also urged the agitating junior doctors of Bengal to urgently consider returning to duty and said she did not 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.

Referring to her speech during the 27th foundation day rally of the West Bengal Trinamool Chhatra Parishad in Kolkata on Wednesday, she said, “I detect a malicious disinformation campaign in some print, electronic and digital media which has been unleashed with reference to a speech that I made in our students’ programme yesterday. 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.”

“I support the junior doctors’ agitation. They are protesting because their colleagues have been raped and murdered. We will not take any action against you, but I appeal to you to join work. The Supreme Court also requested the doctors to join work,” Banerjee had said. “The Supreme Court had also appealed to junior doctors to join work. One must remember that the SC said it was up to the state government to take action. We didn’t take action. If an FIR is filed against you, your future will be ruined. He or she won’t get a passport or visa,” the Chief Minister added.

The BJP quickly responded to Banerjee’s clarification with Mr Malviya, in a post on X, misquoted in translating her Wednesday Bengali speech to counter her clarification. He wrote, “This is what Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of Bengal said, junior doctors’ future will be ruined if FIR is filed, they will not get passport-visa.” “Mamata Banerjee is digging herself deeper in the hole with this clarification. Shame on her for threatening medical students, demanding justice for their colleague, a young lady doctor, who was brutally raped and murdered in the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital,” he added.

Ms Banerjee also said, “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.” I also clarify that the phrase (“phonsh kara”) that I had used in my speech yesterday is a quote from Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa Deva…My speech on that point was a direct allusion to the great Ramakrishnite saying.”

Meanwhile, a row has also erupted over President Droupadi Murmu’s remarks on the Kolkata rape and murder and several Opposition leaders have opposed her statements. TMC Spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the President “sounded like a BJP politician.” The Opposition said the President never commented on crimes against women in other states, especially the ones ruled by the BJP, and cited examples of atrocities during the Manipur crisis and the Hathras incident.

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said she was “dismayed and horrified” to learn about the Kolkata crime. “No civilised society can allow daughters and sisters to be subjected to such atrocities,” the President said, adding, “Enough is enough.” “Even as students, doctors and citizens were protesting in Kolkata, criminals remained on prowl elsewhere,” President Murmu said.