Mamata Banerjee’s clarification amid BJP flak: ‘Never threatened doctors’

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday alleged that a malicious disinformation campaign was unleashed against her over her speech yesterday. She claimed she didn’t utter a single word against medical students or their movement against the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
“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,” she said in a long post on X.
“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 added.
She said she spoke against the BJP in her speech because they had been threatening democracy in West Bengal.
“I have spoken against the 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,” she added.
During her speech, Banerjee said she had been very patient during the entire episode. She urged the protesting doctors to return to work.
The BJP claimed she had threatened the doctors.
“I also clarify that the phrase (“phonsh kara”) that I had used in my speech yesterday is a quote from Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa Deva. 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 said.
On Wednesday, in response to BJP’s 12-hour long ‘Bengal Bandh’ call, Mamata Banerjee claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was using his party to cause a fire in Bengal over the Kolkata doctor rape and murder.
“Some people think this is Bangladesh. I love Bangladesh; they speak like us and share our culture. But remember, Bangladesh is a separate country, and India is a separate country. Modi Babu is using his party to cause fire here. If you burn Bengal, Assam, North-East, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Delhi too shall burn! We will topple your chair,” she said.
Reacting to the remark, the BJP today compared her with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.