As public anger and protests mount against the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government in the aftermath of the Kolkata rape-murder case, there appears to be a growing unease within the INDIA bloc over the manner the Trinamool Congress has handled the issue so far.
The brutal tragedy that struck the 31-year-old doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital evoked nationwide protests. The 69-year-old Chief Minister hit the streets demanding capital punishment for the accused but even her personal intervention also could not placate the protesters this time.
After delivering an unexpectedly strong performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the INDIA bloc faces its first big hurdle involving a member of the alliance. The Opposition, which has so far managed to keep the BJP in check following the parliamentary elections, is wary of ceding the advantage. The BJP, on the other hand, has already sought Banerjee’s resignation citing the “collapse of law and order” in the state.
The equations between the state Congress unit and the Trinamool Congress have always been tense. The relation between the CM and former West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury marked by for many years. Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the CM claimed that the “Congress and CPI(M) are the two eyes of BJP in Bengal”.
Mamata versus rest
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s reaction to the state’s response to the incident has come as a fresh setback for the Trinamool Congress which does not see eye to eye with the Congress in Bengal. Rahul said there was an “attempt to save the accused instead of providing justice to the victim”.
In response, Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh highlighted an article about Karnataka Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot granting sanction for the prosecution of CM Siddaramaiah in an alleged land allotment case.
Catch live updates of Kolkata murder-rape case here.
"So, Rahul Gandhi ji, will you ask your CM to resign? This is a gross allegation of corruption. Without having correct information about the WB incident, without knowing the steps taken by Mamata Banerjee, you made a comment on social media. Now, will you kindly take steps regarding your CM?" Ghosh posted on X.
Congress insiders told The Indian Express the party did not expect Trinamool to attack Gandhi on his remarks. According to Congress, the Mamata government had clearly “messed up” at several levels.
“Today, one TMC minister was shown on television saying that those pointing fingers at Mamata Banerjee would have their fingers broken… Then the notice to Ray… These are matters which cannot be defended,” one Congress leader told The Indian Express.
Voices of concern have risen from within the party as well. A longtime Trinamool member and the party’s former Rajya Sabha chief whip, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, received a Kolkata Police notice after he questioned the handling of the incident by the state government.
Mamata blames Left, BJP
The CPI(M), a longtime rival of the TMC in Bengal, had also questioned the functioning of the police and the administration’s failure to rise to the occasion. In response, the Bengal CM hit back saying a “systematic effort” is being made by the BJP and the CPI(M) to “defame Bengal”.
“I want to tell these political parties-don’t try to politicise the incident just for a few likes on social media and media footage. Politics is meant for services to people,” said the CM. “In many states including Delhi, UP, Hathras we all saw what happened. In Hathras the family was brutally assaulted.”
How women leaders of INDIA bloc reacted
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said that she is certain that the Bengal CM is very sensitive to the situation and would take the right action.
DMK leader K Kanimozhi reiterated her earlier statement seeking justice for the murdered doctor. “We should act with firmness to ensure that these heinous acts are stopped. The list of those killed for merely being women didn’t start with Delhi’s Nirbhaya, or Hathras, or Kathua, or Kolkata, or the countless others we haven’t heard,” she said.
Meanwhile, CPI leader Annie Raja said that crimes against women are repeatedly reported from Bengal, but the government has not taken this seriously. “That is why even in a government institution (R G Kar Hospital), women are not safe,” she told PTI. “We condemn such mob violence which took place last night. Who should have prevented that? Who is responsible for the law and order situation? It is the state government.”
The Congress’s chairman, media and publicity, Pawan Khera, said the Bengal CM is not silent but the family’s questions need to be answered. “Their doubts need to be heard with sensitivity… We have been through this experience with Nirbhaya and we know what the parents go through. Therefore, I am sure they will get the answers and not have any complaints with any level of investigation,” Khera told PTI.
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