Ever since the fiasco over the rape and murder of the young doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital started, his silence was conspicuous. He broke his silence only once – after a gang of hooligans vandalised RGKMCH during the women’s ‘Reclaim the Night’ protest on August 14-15 to seek justice for the murdered doctor.
Kolkata: Even as outrage over the rape and murder of a young doctor in a Kolkata hospital put the Trinamool Congress in a tight spot, Mamata Banerjee’s heir apparent and the party’s general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was so far conspicuously silent, fuelling speculation that he was not happy with the way the government was dealing with the situation.
Abhishek’s office withdrew itself from managing the media engagement of TMC over the past few days. The TMC supremo and the state’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday appointed a new four-member committee to oversee the party’s engagement with media. The committee will set the framework of the party’s day-to-day interaction with the media.
Abhishek led TMC’s campaign during the Lok Sabha elections this year, ensuring the victory of the party’s candidates in 29 of the 42 parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal. He also took a lead role for the party as Lok Sabha MP during the recent Budget session of Parliament.
But ever since the fiasco over the rape and murder of the young doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital started, his silence was conspicuous. He broke his silence only once – after a gang of hooligans vandalised RGKMCH during the women’s ‘Reclaim the Night’ protest on August 14-15 to seek justice for the murdered doctor.
“The hooliganism and vandalism at RG Kar tonight have exceeded all acceptable limits,” Abhishek posted on X late at night. “As a public representative, I just spoke with @CPKolkata, urging him to ensure that every individual responsible for today’s violence is identified, held accountable, and made to face the law within the next 24 hours, regardless of their political affiliations.”
He also wrote that the demands of the protesting doctors were fair and justified. “This is the minimum they should expect from the government. Their safety and security must be prioritized.”