Kolkata: Day after remarks of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Trinamool Congress rally which caused wide spread criticism, the CM took to X and issued her clarification. CM Mamata Banerjee clarified that she was not against the medical students. She added that with her remarks she referred to a popular parable by Hindu mystic Ramakrishna Paramahamsa on a “snake that refused to hiss”.
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.
Let me most emphatically clarify that I have not uttered a single word against the…
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) August 29, 2024
On Wednesday, while addressing an event to mark the foundation day of Trinamool Congress’ students’ wing, the Chief Minister referred to the parable reportedly to energise the activists of the student wings to oppose “propaganda” against her government on the issue of the rape and murder of a junior doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College &Hospital in Kolkata earlier this month.
Soon after she made the statement, scathing criticisms flooded both from the opposition parties as well as from different walks of society claiming the Chief Minister was “instigating” her party followers to adopt the “path of revenge” to silence the voices of protest against the rape and murder.
In a post on X, Mamata Banerjee said, “Let me most emphatically clarify that I have not uttered a single word against the (medical etc) students or their movements. I support their movement. Their movement is genuine. I never threatened them, as some people are accusing me of doing. This allegation is completely false. I have spoken against the BJP. I have spoken against them because, with the support of the Government of India, they are threatening the democracy in our State and trying to create anarchy. With support from the Centre, they are trying to create lawlessness and I have raised my voice against them.”
She said that the phrase ‘Phonsh Kora’ (hissing), which she referred to, is a quote from Ramakrishna Paramahansa. “The legendary saint had said that occasionally there is a need to raise one’s voice. When there are crimes and criminal offences, a voice of protest has to be raised. My speech on that point was a direct allusion to the great Ramakrishnite saying,” her post read further.