Is Mamata Banerjee facing the most serious challenge and the gravest crisis since she got the people’s mandate the third time in 2021? Is the “agni kanya” losing her prominence in the political arena of West Bengal? The vibrant and energetic politician of the state known for her no-nonsense governance is under pressure like never before in the present term. The rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata’s prestigious R.G. Kar Medical College kick-started a series of massive protests across the state and it has been echoed across the country. The anger against the government and the ruling party Trinamool Congress has been so intense that the strike at the medical college where the incident took place, continued unabated for 12 days. Soon the protest against Kolkata Rape-Murder Case began to reverberate across the country.
Massive Protest: “Reclaim The Night”
When the slogan of “reclaim the night” was raised in the capital city of the state, thousands of the people, majority of them women, took to the streets. From Belgatchia, where R G Kar Medial College is situated to Jadavpur, the area where a sprawling university is located, turned the hotspot of protestS on the night of August 14 and women at the age of 80 to a school girl of 14 participated most of them, seething in anger and full of frustration over the failure of Kolkata Police to take quick action at time. Kolkata Rape-Murder Case has escalated to a new height.
Mamata Banerjee: Friends Turned Foes
The situation worsened after the police issued notice to those who criticized Mamata Banerjee on social media platforms and the place of the crime was vandalized and the protestors were attacked. It is alleged that the local cadre of the TMC was behind the attack. The anger against the first woman chief minister of the state is so high that it seems to have thrown her into a deep political crisis. Leave aside the main opposition party the BJP, Congress and the CPI(M), the parties with which Mamata Banerjee has good relation have also turned against her.
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Kolkata Rape-Murder Case: Rahul Gandhi Shocked
Expressing his concerns that the parents of the victim would would get justice, Rahul Gandhi said “the attempt to save the accused instead of providing justice to the victim” raised serious questions regarding the hospital and the local administration. He said, “The entire country is shocked by the gruesome incident of rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata. The way the layers of the cruel and inhuman act against her are being revealed, there is an atmosphere of insecurity among the doctors’ community and women.”
Mamata Banerjee Hits Back At CPI(M)
CPIM slammed the TMC and the chief minister for the apathy and raised many questions. It also questioned the functioning of the police and the administration’s failure to rise to the occasion. However, it started a war of words with the ruling party. Hitting back at the party, which was defeated by the TMC almost 13 years back, Mamata Banerjee said that a “systematic effort” is being made by the BJP and the CPI(M) to “defame Bengal.” She also said, “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. ” She reminded the opposition parties how in in many states including Delhi, UP, Hathras we all saw what happened. In Hathras the family was brutally assaulted.
Upset INDIA
There is an uproar in the opposition bloc INDIA and its women MPs have come out openly not only expressing concerns, but also slamming the government. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that she is certain that Mamata Banerjee is very sensitive to the situation and she would soon do the course correction with regard to law and order situation and address the risks women face at work. She also expressed hope that the West Bengal government would cooperate withe the central agency CBI to ensure that the victim’s family gets justice.
CPI leader Annie Raja said: “Repeatedly, crimes against women are 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 also questioned how “two truckloads of people” had entered the government hospital and attacked the doctors on strike.
Also Read: Massive Uproar: Large Protest Erupts Near Mumbai Over Child Molestation At Badlapur School
TMC divided over Kolkata Rape-Murder Case?
The ruling TMC itself seem to be divided on the issue as many of its leaders including some of the MPs have come out openly expressing their concerns and disagreement. TMC workers have protested across the state, though they have not been vocal against the government.
TMC MP Sagarika Ghosh took to social media platform X to write, “As the mother of a doctor I am appalled and shocked at the heinous ghastly crime at RG Kar hospital over which there should be NO politics.”
As the mother of a doctor I am appalled and shocked at the heinous ghastly crime at RG Kar hospital over which there should be NO politics. The @MamataOfficial government stands for ZERO TOLERANCE on crimes against women. Whoever did this deserves the harshest possible…
— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) August 13, 2024
Another MP from the party also expressed her views openly on the social media platform. Sushmita Dev wrote, “Fast- track courts can’t ensure quick justice due to appeals. Nirbhaya case took 7 years.” She added, The young doctor brutally raped & murdered in RG Kar hospital in the line of duty is heartbreaking & raises larger questions about safety of women at work place.
Fast track courts can’t ensure quick justice due to appeals. Nirbhaya case took 7 years.
The young doctor brutally raped & murdered in RG Kar hospital in the line of duty is heartbreaking & raises larger questions about safety of women at work place. @MamataOfficial ‘s…
— Sushmita Dev সুস্মিতা দেব (@SushmitaDevAITC) August 13, 2024
Mamata Banerjee: Will Didi Bounce Back?
The moot question is whether Mamata Banerjee is losing grip over the administration, the police and the party. More important is the question if the opposition parties will rally against her and make a group to oppose her. Mamata Banerjee has been one of the people who have fought relentlessly against the the BJP and if the parties like the CPIM, Congress, CPI, Shiv Sena and other turn against her, it may impact not only the TMC or West Bengal, but the national politics as well. If the BJP succeeds in weakening Mamata Banerjee, it will get rich dividends at the national level.
Mamata Banerjee is at the crossroads of establishing herself and her politics by coming out the present crisis and losing her importance.
