West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is facing widespread criticism following controversial remarks she made during a public rally on Wednesday. The comments, perceived as threatening both protesting doctors and northeastern states, have drawn sharp responses from political leaders, including those from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Chief Ministers from the northeastern region.
The controversy stems from a speech Banerjee delivered at the foundation day event of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP). During her address, she accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of attempting to create unrest in West Bengal following the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Banerjee warned that any attempts to “burn” Bengal would have repercussions across other states, including Assam, the northeast, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Delhi, and that such actions could lead to the downfall of Modi’s government.
Banerjee’s comments were met with immediate backlash. West Bengal BJP state president and Union Minister of State, Sukanta Majumdar, condemned her remarks as “unprecedented and threatening.” He expressed his concerns in a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, stating that Banerjee’s actions were unbecoming of a chief minister, who should be expected to rise above partisan politics. Majumdar argued that her statements posed a threat to democracy and questioned her ability to continue in her role.
The rape and murder of the trainee doctor on August 9 have sparked nationwide outrage, leading to protests demanding justice for the victim. The issue has intensified political tensions in West Bengal, with the BJP accusing Banerjee of trying to deflect attention from the state’s law and order situation by making inflammatory statements.
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused Banerjee of directly threatening doctors who were protesting the incident. Trivedi criticized her for allegedly instructing the police not to register FIRs against protesting doctors, calling it a “new strategy to threaten” those seeking justice. At a press conference in New Delhi, Trivedi emphasized that the issue of justice for the victim should not be politicized.
More Read
The sharpest rebuke came from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who took to social media to express his outrage. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Sarma challenged Banerjee’s comments, questioning her audacity to threaten Assam. He accused her of trying to incite public unrest to divert attention from her own governance failures and warned her against using divisive rhetoric. “Don’t even try to incite India with your politics of failure. It does not suit you to speak divisive language,” Sarma wrote.
Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika also condemned Banerjee’s remarks, stating that she could not intimidate the northeastern states. Hazarika called on Banerjee to maintain the decorum expected of a long-serving chief minister and criticized her for not being able to control law and order in her state while making threats against others.
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh also reacted strongly, demanding a public apology from Banerjee for her “irresponsible” comments. Singh, in his post on X, said, “How dare Didi threaten the Northeast? I condemn such irresponsible remarks in the strongest terms. She must publicly apologize to the Northeast and the rest of the nation.”
The incident has escalated political tensions between West Bengal and the northeastern states, with leaders across party lines condemning Banerjee’s rhetoric. As the controversy continues to unfold, it underscores the deepening political divide in the lead-up to the next election.
