Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee - already under fire from the BJP over the rape and murder of a doctor at a Kolkata hospital - hit back at allies Congress Wednesday evening, shortly after party MP Rahul Gandhi's acerbic comment about the handling of the case by the "local administration".
Ms Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress is part of the Congress-led INDIA bloc, also took on fierce rivals CPI (Marxist), declaring "heinous crimes" had been committed in Bengal while the Left party was in power and "many incidents" had been reported from Congress-ruled states.
"I want to ask Congress... how many incidents have taken place in your states... what action do you take? And under CPIM rule there were a plethora of heinous crimes (and) the then government was silent. Since there was no social media then... people were not so aware," she declared.
Referring to iconic Left leader and former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, who died last week, she stressed "a lot of heinous crimes took place" while he was in power from 2000 to 2011.
Hours earlier Mr Gandhi said on X that "the attempt to save the accused, instead of providing justice to the victim, raises serious questions on the hospital and the local administration".
READ | "Attempt To Save Accused...": Rahul Gandhi On Doctor Rape-Murder
The Congress and the Trinamool are allies but their relationship is volatile, a state of affairs emphasised in the build-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha election, when there was heated speculation over seat-sharing.
Eventually the Trinamool contested on its own, against the Left and the Congress.
Till Mr Gandhi's tweet the Congress had maintained a guarded silence on this case, with only Priyanka Gandhi Vadra making a careful comment.
"Abuse Me As Much As You Want..."
Ms Banerjee also slammed the BJP - which has launched protests demanding her resignation.
"Abuse me as much as you want... there are people running a smear campaign on social media. But do not abuse 'Bangla Maa...'" she continued, invoking the party's 'Maa, Mati, Manush' war-cry.
Ms Banerjee holds Bengal's Police, Home, and Health ministries and faces strong calls for accountability amid allegations by the doctor's parents of serious lapses by hospital administration.
READ | Why CBI Got Kolkata Doctor Rape-Murder Case: Court's Remarks
The parents also approached the High Court alleging negligence by the police. The cops, though, dismissed as false reports claiming they treated the death as 'suicide' and rushed to cremate the body.
"I was in Jhargram... I was on my way when I spoke to CP (Kolkata police chief Vineet Kumar Goyal). I also spoke to the parents of the victim and assured them the police will investigate and that I want capital punishment. I stand with what I have said since the first day..." Ms Banerjee said today.
READ | Mamata Says Will Hand Over Rape-Murder Probe To CBI If...
The Chief Minister also said that the police had collected DNA and CCTV footage and that an accused - Sanjoy Roy - was arrested within 12 hours. "I visited their residence and took stock, minute-by-minute, of the situation all night. Police also escorted the body of the victim and throughout the investigation like DNA, CCTV footage - everything was carried out and within 12 hours murderer was arrested."
READ | In Doctor Rape-Murder Case, CBI Will Investigate 6 Key Issues
Roy, now in the custody of the CBI, which was handed the case by the Calcutta High Court Tuesday after it overruled Ms Banerjee's seven-day deadline for the police to solve this case.
The court's decision was seen as a direct attack on Ms Banerjee's government, and she hit out firmly, saying, "For any investigation, you need to give time. I had set a deadline till Sunday. You cannot take action against anyone without proper investigation. I respect both senior and junior doctors."
"I cannot arrest people without proper investigation." The Bengal government, however, "will completely follow the High Court and is cooperating with CBI", she also said.
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