Didi shocks nation, lets down girls in WB

Something seems to be seriously wrong with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Notorious for her virulent verbal attacks on her adversaries right from the time she shot to fame on the political firmament by spitting venom at CPM, she has periodically drawn flak for the manner she plays her cards, especially when her utterances result in severe backlash from all quarters, including the public. Driven to the wall, she has invariably reacted with customary ‘I have been wrongly quoted’ or ‘deliberately distorted’ pretexts. It is a different thing altogether that no one is buying her ‘lame’ excuses. Quite ironically, she seems unaware that pointing an accusing finger at opposition leaders is quite different from reacting to heinous crimes like rape-murder and gang-rapes happening in her own state. Her sordid comments after a 23-year-old second-year MBBS student at a private medical college in Durgapur was gang-raped around midnight on Sunday, is not only condemnable but hugely deplorable. Her reaction “How was she out at 12.30 am?”, has left outraged sections in the nation aghast because of her typical senseless blabber, which is unbecoming of a Chief Minister and a woman to boot.

It is ironic that not only has she defended herself by stating that she was quoted “out of context”, and adding that the Bengal Police were taking all steps to track down the culprits, the Chief Minister has unabashedly shifted the blame on to the management of the private medical college where the victim, a Odisha native, is a student. Blaming the college for the “culture at night” that prevails, Banerjee quipped, “They (girl students) should not be allowed to come out. They must protect themselves. It is a forest area.”

Predictably, it has drawn criticism from all political parties, with the BJP accusing the Chief Minister of ‘victim shaming’. Not one to take the blame, she tried to turn the tables by hitting out at the BJP government in Odisha, and brought up rape cases in the neighbouring state, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Wanting to know what action those state administrations have taken against the perpetrators, Banerjee has exposed the double standards she employs. “Shameless @MamataOfficial a blot on womanhood, even more for being a CM. After RG Kar and Sandeshkhali, now this horrific case and instead of justice, she blames the victim!” is how BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia has reacted in a post on X.

This is not the first time that women have been advised against going out at night by the Bengal government. The barbaric rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College on August 9, 2024 saw the government issuing such guidelines and calling upon management to reduce night duty for women. “In Bengal we have zero tolerance (against such crimes), and I will appeal to the boys and girls who come to study here not to venture out at night. This is because the police are not aware of who is coming out of hostels and when?” Does she mean that girls from her own state are less vulnerable or is it that they get more protection. It is a ridiculous argument. Fear was writ large in the reaction of the father of the student. “They could kill her here any moment. That’s why we want to take her back to Odisha. Trust has been lost. We don’t want her to stay in Bengal.” Miss Banerjee should know that there is no smoke without fire.