Amidst ongoing protests in Kolkata following the horrifying rape and murder of a second-year PG medical student at RG Kar Hospital, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has found herself at the center of a new controversy. Suvendu Adhikari, the state’s BJP chief and Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, has launched a scathing attack on Banerjee, accusing her of being self-absorbed and lacking empathy during her address to protesting junior doctors.
Adhikari’s criticism stems from Banerjee’s speech delivered to the doctors at a makeshift camp near Swasthya Bhawan. He alleges that Banerjee used the pronoun “I” and referred to herself excessively, counting 76 instances in a mere 9 minutes and 26 seconds. “That’s how much CM Mamata Banerjee referred to and boasted about herself while addressing the Junior Doctors yesterday,” Adhikari stated on X, formerly known as Twitter. He further labeled her a “self-centric megalomaniac” and highlighted the difficulty in finding a solution to the ongoing protests due to her perceived self-centeredness.
These comments come at a time when the state government is desperately trying to end the protests by junior doctors in Kolkata, who are demanding justice for the medical student tragically murdered on August 9th. Earlier on Saturday, Banerjee visited the protesting doctors, assuring them of appropriate action against those responsible and urging them to return to their duties. However, the protesters maintained their stance, demanding a meeting without live streaming or video conferencing.
The Kolkata rape and murder case is currently being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The investigation has led to the arrests of former RG Kar hospital principal Sandip Ghosh and the officer-in-charge of Tala police station, Abhijit Mondal.
