Mamata Banerjee has often described herself as a street fighter. But her politics has currently reached the most delicate point of the street. The problem is that this time Mamata Banerjee is not getting the support of her own people, whereas she has always stood with her own people in the worst of times.
The Supreme Court has raised questions while taking suo motu cognizance of the Kolkata rape and murder case, every comment of the court wants to know Mamata Banerjee’s stand, but it does not seem that Mamata Banerjee has anything left to react. It is a different matter that the state government has filed a formal reply to the court’s notice.
Whether it is the Saradha sting case or the Narada scam, Mamata Banerjee has always been seen at the forefront. She has been defending her leaders openly. She has made them win elections on her own and has also made them ministers – but the rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College has spoiled the entire ‘game’ of Mamata Banerjee’s politics.
Mamata Banerjee’s politics has been spotless, of course her fellow leader and nephew Abhishek Banerjee is also surrounded by corruption charges, yet she has never been affected, but this time her government has automatically come under question.
The Supreme Court has asked, ‘When the conduct of the principal of RG Kar Hospital was under investigation, how was he immediately appointed to another college? The question is serious. And Mamata Banerjee will have to answer it, because she is the head of the government.
Just like she has been giving clean chits to her leaders till now, similarly a chit will have to be given in the case of Sandeep Ghosh, the Principal of the medical college – and this time Mamata Banerjee cannot sit on a dharna for her police commissioner like last time, all such opportunities have slipped out of Mamata Banerjee’s hands.
The biggest worry for Mamata Banerjee is that the assurance that the doctors should have received from her is being given by the Supreme Court – and this is proof that the doctors have lost faith in Mamata Banerjee. At least this is what seems to be the case in the Kolkata rape-murder case.
* Supreme Court’s assurance to protesting doctors
During the hearing of the Kolkata rape-murder case, the Supreme Court said, this is not only a horrific incident but also highlights the lack of security for doctors across India. And that is why the Supreme Court has said, we want to form a National Task Force, in which doctors will also be involved.
Regarding the doctors’ strike, the Supreme Court said that they should understand that the health care system of the entire country is with them.
The Supreme Court reassured the protesting doctors and advised them to trust the court and said, ‘You return to work… we will now take responsibility for your safety.’
Mamata Banerjee could have given this confidence to the doctors, just as the people of West Bengal have always trusted Mamata Banerjee’s words during elections. The results of the 2016, 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are proof of the trust the people of Bengal have on Mamata Banerjee.
The Supreme Court has made another important comment, ‘If women are not able to go to work… and are not safe at the workplace, then by doing so we are depriving them of the right to equality.’
This is the biggest question on the West Bengal government, where there is a woman Chief Minister – and Mamata Banerjee will have to clarify the situation in this matter.
If Mamata Banerjee had handled this case sensibly and sensitively, there would not have been so many questions raised about the safety of women in West Bengal. It has not been long since the Sandeshkhali incident. Politics is one thing, but the safety of women is above politics.
It cannot be said that Mamata Banerjee was averse to a CBI inquiry into the Kolkata rape-murder case, because the Chief Minister had given a public statement while setting a deadline for the police that she would hand over the case to the CBI. However, the Calcutta High Court had already done this.
The Supreme Court observed, ‘It appears… the crime was detected in the initial hours itself… the Principal of the Medical College tried to pass it off as a suicide.’
This matter came to the Supreme Court later, TMC leader Sukhendu Shekhar Roy had already raised these questions. In his social media post, Sukhendu Shekhar Roy had demanded the CBI to take into custody and interrogate RG Kar’s principal Sandeep Ghosh and Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal.
Look at the irony that instead of paying attention to Sukhendu Shekhar’s words, Kolkata Police summoned him to the police headquarters. Why did Mamata Banerjee think that the principal and the police’s suicide theory was correct? Did Mamata Banerjee not have any other mechanism to find out the truth, or has all this been part of her political nature? This incident certainly raises this question.
This question is also of the Supreme Court, ‘What was the principal doing? Why was he called for questioning so late? Why did he show such inaction?
And a bigger question than that, the Supreme Court has asked, ‘When the conduct of the principal of RG Kar Hospital was under investigation, how was he immediately appointed to another college?
The Supreme Court also took seriously the fact that the principal tried to pass off the incident as a suicide, and that the parents were not allowed to see the body.
TMC leader Sukhendu Shekhar Roy has also written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the medical college incident, and has also had to move the High Court fearing arrest against the police summons for the social media post.
Sukhendu Shekhar is not the only leader who has expressed a different opinion from the official line of the party on the Kolkata rape-murder case. TMC leader Shantanu Sen also raised questions after this incident, due to which he had to lose the post of spokesperson. Shantanu Sen said that for the last three years, complaints of irregularities were being received in that medical college, and some people are not letting the information about the irregularities in the health department reach the Chief Minister.
The principal’s statement that the rape and murder incident was a suicide only confirms Shantanu Sen’s statement. And the personal concern expressed by Shantanu Sen also shows the seriousness of the matter. Shantanu Sen says that he is confused whether to send his daughter to the medical college for night duty after doing RG or not? In fact, his daughter is also there.
Reads – Is Mamata Banerjee able to understand the concern of one of her fellow leaders?
BJP and CPI are staunch political opponents of Mamata Banerjee, but Rahul Gandhi has even sidelined his Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary for her, but Congress leaders also seem worried in this matter.
Rahul Gandhi says, ‘The attempt to save the accused instead of providing justice to the victim raises serious questions on the hospital and the local administration… This incident has forced us to think that if doctors are not safe in a place like a medical college, then with what confidence can people send their daughters outside for studies?’
There are countless questions that are hovering around Mamata Banerjee. Now denying these questions or calling them a conspiracy of political opponents will not work – if Mamata Banerjee does not come to her senses now, then no one knows when the ‘Khela’ will be played against her.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)