There are continuous protests across the country against the rape and murder of a female trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The Bengal government has been reprimanded even by the Supreme Court in this matter. Amidst all this, major differences have also come to the fore between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (Didi) and her nephew, TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, regarding this matter.
These differences are reminiscent of the period of communist rule in the state when differences between leaders like Jyoti Basu and Pramod Dasgupta came out in the open. This is also known as the conflict between the state government’s Writers Building headquarters and the party’s Alimuddin Street headquarters. Today these internal differences are resurfacing between the government headquarters in Nabanna and Abhishek’s office in Camac Street.
Abhishek made a distance
Abhishek has kept himself away from the high-profile Kolkata rape and murder case. He has chosen not to participate in Didi’s rallies and padyatras demanding swift action from the CBI. Sources close to Abhishek have highlighted several reasons for his discontent:
1. Hospital superintendent Sandip Ghosh was not suspended immediately.
2. After removal, Ghosh was immediately transferred to a good post.
3. Abhishek believes that Mamata, known for her clean image, did not take strong action against corrupt practices.
4. A group of doctors close to the CM is believed to be supporting Ghosh. The group is under social media scrutiny for alleged corruption and Abhishek feels that tough action is necessary to maintain the party’s image.
5. Abhishek took immediate action after the attack on August 14 by calling the police commissioner, which underlines his promptness, in contrast to Didi’s relatively restrained response.
Let us tell you that the body of the female doctor was found in the auditorium of the hospital on the morning of August 9. A person who frequently visited the hospital premises was arrested in this case on August 10. Since this incident, medical services have been affected across the country and hundreds of doctors are on strike under the banner of various organizations and are demanding security for doctors.