British debating society, Oxford Union, abruptly cancelled a programme with Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday.
A day after the prestigious British debating society, Oxford Union, abruptly cancelled a programme with Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister, without naming the BJP, condemned those who she said "had insulted and humiliated West Bengal for political reasons".
BJP MP Swapan Dasgupta tweeted that Oxford Union's abrupt cancellation was "uncivil" but Trinamool Congress' "hype" over it was "needless and cringe-worthy".
BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya called it "Pishi's Oxford publicity botch-up".
"Not Oxford Union," said Ms Banerjee, who had accepted the debate society's invitation in July. "I want to tell those who humiliated and insulted Bengal for political reasons, a day will come when they will have to bow before Bengal," she said.
Her target was unnamed, but since Wednesday Trinamool sources have been pointing at the BJP-led Centre and claiming that "tremendous pressure was exerted on Oxford Union to cancel the event".
It's a charge Oxford Union denied in response to queries from NDTV. "There has been no political pressure on the Union to cancel whatsoever, and the postponement had nothing to do with politics," a spokesperson said.
But in an email from Oxford Union President Beatrice Barr to Mamata Banerjee's private secretary Gautam Sanyal, there was no explanation of the "extenuating circumstances" that first forced a rescheduling of the event at short notice from 5 pm to 2.30 pm and then, with barely 30 minutes to go, to call and cancel the event.
Trinamool Congress sources said the whole episode unfolded with an eye on the upcoming Assembly elections, due early next year, and it was not the first time that such a thing had happened.
In 2018, Ms Banerjee cancelled a visit to China because the "political meetings at appropriate level" did not materialize. Host Vivekananda Vedanta Society cancelled a fixture at Chicago due to unforeseen reasons and St Stephens College in Delhi cancelled an address because of "inadequate infrastructure".
Asked if she thought the Oxford Union embarrassment was the result of a conspiracy, Ms Banerjee said, "When an eagle is seen flying in the sky, we think a storm is coming. Sometimes the eagle is swept away. After the storm passes, the eagle returns to look for its nest."
"When the eagle returns, it will return to me to make its nest. Our doors are open for eagles, crows, parrots and mynahs. We have the power to treat all religions equally," she said.