In West Bengal, the All India Trinamool Congress finds itself up against the wall. The brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata may have dented the ratings of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, going by an internal assessment by West Bengal’s ruling party, according to India Today.
According to the report, while the Opposition has declared that the R G Kar case will prove to be Mamata’s Achilles’ heel, the TMC survey, covering a few thousand respondents from around Bengal, too has raised some uncomfortable questions for the party.
The survey suggests that the perception of a cover-up and the police mishandling the investigation has pulled down the CM's popularity as well as the credibility of her party and the government to lows perhaps not seen in many years.
The TMC had won 29 of the 42 seats, seven more than last time, in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The party should have consolidated its strength post-polls, but the way the government has handled (or mishandled) the RG Kar horror has left the party not only divided but its leaders speaking in different voices.
The state capital has witnessed a series of protests with doctors, students, politicians and common people hitting the streets almost every day since the rape-murder on August 9. People across the nation have also taken to social media to express their outrage. Amidst all this, the Bengal government finds itself in real trouble.
The entire situation has taken a strong political colour as both the ruling TMC and opposition BJP and CPI(M) fired salvos at each other.
The opposition parties have targeted the TMC government for its callousness in handling the case before it was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The failure of the Kolkata police to secure the crime scene intact as a mob vandalized the site during the ‘Reclaim the Night’ protest by women across the city was one of the lapses for which the government has been targeted by the people.
The TMC has a strong vote base among women. In the aftermath of the doctor’s rape-murder, many puja committees across the city, mostly run by women, declined any kind of assistance from Banerjee. Women have taken the centre stage in most of the protests openly pouring out their rage and dissatisfaction, making it difficult for the ruling party.
To make matters worse, the stark difference in opinions within the party itself have made people question the credibility of the ruling government. While TMC leaders and party workers have threatened the protesters and made derogatory remarks, the Chief Minister herself added fuel to the fire.
At a rally to mark the foundation day of the TMC’s student wing, Banerjee threatened to file FIRs against the protesters and destroy their careers.
“I never wanted revenge. But now I say, you understand well what needs to be done… The ugly, slanderous one that bites you every day, you don’t bite him, but you can hiss,” she said at a public gathering. She faced immense backlash for her comments that made her issue a clarification saying her “hiss” remark was not to be taken seriously.
However, the clarification did not satisfy the protesting doctors. “If an FIR is filed against you (junior doctors), your future will be ruined. He or she won’t get a passport or visa,” she was clearly heard saying.
In another incident, the husband of a TMC councilor Atish Sarkar said, “I will make distorted pictures of your mothers and sisters and hang them at the door of your house. You will not be able to come out of your houses.”
Hours later, Sarkar was suspended by TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as per the directions of Abhishek Banerjee.
While junior doctors called for a ‘Lalbazar Abhijaan’ protest to demand the resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner, TMC MLA Arundhati Maitra, also known as Lovely Maitra, in a public gathering openly referred to doctors as “butchers”.
“People from rural parts come here to get treatment. They are dying because the doctors are protesting. Is this even humane? They (doctors) are turning into butchers,” she was quoted as saying. The party soon after issued her a caution over her remarks.
However, within the same party, several leaders have shown their support and solidarity with the protests.
TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee took to X to urge people in the party to be humbler and more sympathetic.
“Public representatives across party lines need to be more HUMBLE and SYMPATHETIC. I urge everyone in @AITCofficial not to speak ill of anyone from the MEDICAL FRATERNITY or CIVIL SOCIETY. Everyone has the right to protest and express themselves – This is what sets Bengal apart from other BJP ruled states.”
He also expressed his solidarity with the protests so that incidents like this are not repeated, simultaneously taking a dig at the BJP’s bulldozer model, saying, “We have wholeheartedly fought against bulldozer model and oppression tactics of politics. Now is the time for constructive actions to ensure such horrific incidents are not repeated. Bengal must stand united in this fight and not stop until the perpetrators are punished and an anti-rape time-bound law is enacted both by the states and Union government.”
He was also reportedly dissatisfied with the pace of the investigation and how the Kolkata Police Commissioner handled the investigation.
TMC Rajya Sabha MP and senior leader Sukhendu Ray supported the arrest of RG Kar’s former principal, Sandip Ghosh.
He wrote “Middle Stump uprooted. What next…”
He was also one of the first people to support both the ‘Reclaim the Night’ protests.
Senior party leaders have also expressed their dissatisfaction with TMC workers and fellow leaders criticising doctors and their protests.
“Suspension notice and warning have been issued to many. We have to see how to deal with these. We have to see whether these work,” he said.
The state is currently in a very disoriented situation. While preparations are underway to celebrate one of the biggest festivals of the country, Durga Puja, in less than two months, women still remain skeptical of their safety at large. The state has actively been involved in the political blame-game rather than taking steps to meet the demands of women. A concerted effort to deliver swift justice and prevent the recurrence of such a tragedy is of utmost priority.
