West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during her address at Kellogg College, Oxford University in London on Thursday, was interrupted suddenly by a group of protesting students, who tried to disrupt her speech by raising the issues of post-poll violence and the RG Kar College scandal.
Chief Minister Banerjee managed the situation well and responded to the protesters while maintaining courtesy. "Tell your party to increase its strength in our state (West Bengal) so they can fight with us," the Chief Minister told the protesters.
The sudden protest left the audience shocked but they applauded the Chief Minister's response. The protesters were forced to leave the hall at the instance of the audience and Ms Banerjee concluded her speech without any hitches.
Former Indian cricket team captain and former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly was also among the audience during the incident.
Ms Banerjee held various meetings related to industry and trade during her London visit. But the main attraction of her visit was this speech at Kellogg College. And that's where the protest broke out.
Although the protesters managed to briefly disrupt her speech, the Chief Minister's handling of the situation on foreign soil increased her reputation as a politician in the international community, political analysts said.
The Chief Minister was invited to speak at Kellogg College on social development of women, children, and marginalised sections. In her speech, Ms Banerjee mentioned her government's flagship schemes like 'Swasthya Saathi' and 'Kanyashree'.
How Ms Banerjee Handled The Situation
When the Chief Minister was speaking on industrialisation in West Bengal, the topic of investment in the Tata Group's TCS company was raised. During this time, some people stood up with placards in their hands that mentioned the post-poll violence in the state as well as the RG Kar issue.
The protesters also shouted in an attempt to be heard, disrupting Ms Banerjee's speech.
The Chief Minister, however, was least disturbed. She handled the protests in a calm but firm voice. "You are welcoming me, thank you. I will feed you sweets," she told them.
When the protesters raised the RG Kar corruption issue, the Chief Minister said, "Speak a little louder, I cannot hear you. I will listen to everything you have to say. Do you know that this case is pending? The responsibility of investigating this case is now in the hands of the Central government, the case is no longer in our hands."
Mamata Banerjee further said, "Don't do politics here, this is not a platform for politics. Go to my state and do politics with me."
The protesters also raised the Jadavpur University incident.
The Chief Minister addressed one of the protesters as "brother" and said, "Don't lie. I have sympathy for you. But instead of making this a platform for politics, go to Bengal and tell your party to strengthen itself so that they can fight with us."
Hearing her response, the audience started clapping loudly.
The protesters tried to raise their voices but the Chief Minister told them, "Don't disrespect your institution by insulting me. I have come here as a representative of the country. Don't insult your country."
The organisers of the event and the guests collectively raised their voices against the protesters and they were forced to leave. The organisers have also expressed their regret to the Chief Minister for this unexpected incident.
The Chief Minister, however, calmly said, "You have encouraged me to come back here again and again. Remember, Didi does not care about anyone. Didi walks like a Royal Bengal Tiger. If you can catch me, catch me!"
Meanwhile, the All India Trinamool Congress wrote on X: "She (Mamata Banerjee) doesn't flinch. She doesn't falter. The more you heckle, the fiercer she roars. @MamataOfficial is a Royal Bengal Tiger!"
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
