Mamata Banerjee: Have not uttered a single word against medical students or their movements

 Bengal chief minister denies threatening junior doctors or RG Kar protesters, claims ‘malicious campaign’

TT Bureau, Calcutta, 29.08.24 : Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday denied that she had threatened junior doctors in her speech at the annual event of the Trinamul’s students’ wing on Wednesday.

Junior doctors are on strike since the rape and murder of a young intern at RG Kar medical College and Hospital on August 9 over various demands of safety and over the investigation into the RG Kar case. The ceasework by the junior doctors has severely affected health care in government hospitals on which the common people depend.

“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,” Mamata wrote in a post on Thursday morning on her X (formerly Twitter) handle, saying she detected a malicious disinformation campaign in the media.

In her speech on Wednesday at the Trinamul Congress Chhatra Parishad event held on Mayo Road, Mamata had said in Bengali: “If I lose my patience, you have no idea what I can do. I have never been vengeful. I gave the slogan we want change not revenge. I am saying today drop that slogan. Whatever has to be done you [Trinamul members] will have to do. I don’t want any violence, but you can hiss to unmask those conspiring [against Bengal].”

On Thursday, the chief minister 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 said that she was referring to a fable from the 19th century ascetic Ramakrishna Paramhansa’s life when she said “hiss to unmask”.

“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.”

The chief minister had used the phrase in one of her speeches in north Calcutta during her first term as chief minister.

Soon after Mamata’s speech on Thursday, a mob attacked a CPM protest rally in Durgapur on the RG Kar issue.

Opposition leaders had severely criticised the chief minister’s statement as provocative. The protests over the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor’s rape and murder escalated into violence on Tuesday during a BJP/RSS-backed march to the state secretariat.