For the CM to see that the “poriborton” her government promotes starts closer home, she must resist the temptation to give in to the finger pointing and the self-serving outrage.
A distinguishing feature of a competent administrator is often her ability to pull back from the brink. Instead, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s assertion on Wednesday — that “…if a fire starts in Bengal, Assam will not be spared, Bihar will not be spared, it will not stop at Manipur, or Odisha. It will also reach Delhi” — is rash and reeks of desperation. The R G Kar rape and murder case is a litmus test for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in the state. But by playing victim and conspiracy theorist, by turns, it is not stepping up to the challenge.
Following criticism of her comments, Banerjee has said that the allegations against her are a “malicious disinformation campaign”, that she stands firmly in support of the doctors’ movement demanding justice for their murdered colleague and safe working conditions for all women. Her statements were against the BJP trying to cash in on the situation, she says. But as a woman and a leader who claims to engage and enable the aspirations of women voters in the state, the CM must realise this is not a time for remarks that could be seen as inflammatory, or whataboutery. There can be no denying that Banerjee’s government fumbled in handling the crisis in its early days. From the failure to inform the doctor’s family about her death to the registration of a case of “unnatural death” to the immediate appointment of R G Kar’s principal to another prestigious Kolkata hospital after his resignation, and the vandalism at the hospital amid the Kolkata Police’s floundering, there have been many instances of the administration failing in its responsibilities to take the justice process forward and to keep the calm.
In 2012, a year after Banerjee came to power, the Park Street rape incident was a flashpoint. Then, her initial dismissal of the incident as an attempt to discredit the West Bengal government had backfired. In the intervening years, the CM has worked towards building a strong electoral and political base, in the 18th Lok Sabha, the TMC boasts of the highest proportion of women in Parliament. Now, the CM has asked for speedy disposal of cases of sexual harassment and stricter punishment, including death penalty. But the solution does not lie in harsher laws and punishments — it needs more painstaking and comprehensive reforms. For the CM to see that the “poriborton” her government promotes starts closer home, she must resist the temptation to give in to the finger pointing and the self-serving outrage.
