New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is facing heat for allegedly issuing threats to protesting doctors, on Thursday clarified that she did not utter a single word against the medics and their movements. She alleged that a “malicious disinformation campaign” is being run against her in media.
Banerjee has come under sharp criticism for allegedly saying that if she filed “an FIR against anyone, their future will be ruined, they won’t get passport, visa”. Banerjee made the remarks while urging doctors protesting against the August 9 rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata to return to work.
‘Didn’t utter single word against doctors’
“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.
“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.
What Mamata told protesting doctors
Addressing a gathering on the foundation day of her party’s student wing, Trinamool Chhatra Parishad, the TMC chief had said, “We did not act against you after you protested because I understand you are upset. But please join work gradually. Supreme Court has said that the state government can now take action. I don’t want to take action because I want them to study properly. If get an FIR registered, their future will be destroyed, they won’t get a chance anywhere, they won’t get passports and visas. If I take legal action, their lives will be destroyed. I don’t want that, our government has a human outlook, we want to create more doctors with this human outlook.” The remarks drew sharp reactions from the protesting doctors who said that the CM’s words sounded like a “passive threat”.
Mamata accuses BJP of creating anarchy in Bengal
Banerjee in her post also accused the Centre of threatening the democracy in West Bengal and trying to create anarchy. She alleged that with the support of Centre, the BJP is “trying to create lawlessness and I have raised my voice against them.”
The Chief Minister yesterday said that if the BJP tries to burn West Bengal, other states like Assam, Bihar, Manipur, Odisha will face its heat too. The remarks evoked share reactions from her counterparts in several states. Banerjee stressed that though Bangladesh and her state share the same language and culture, both are two different countries with West Bengal being part of India.
Alleging that Narendra Modi’s party is trying to fuel the situation in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress supremo said, “If Bengal is set on fire, Assam, northeast, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Delhi will also be affected.”