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Mamata Banerjee faced protests at Oxford, with BJP accusing her of following Rahul Gandhi’s footsteps and undermining India, while TMC defended her resilience.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee faced protests during her speech at Oxford University's Kellogg College in London on Thursday. A group of demonstrators, including members of the Students Federation of India in the UK (SFI-UK) and purportedly the Bengali Hindu diaspora, confronted Banerjee over issues such as post-poll violence, corruption, and crimes against women in West Bengal. The heckling led to strong political reactions back in India, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launching scathing attacks on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader.
Bengali Hindus confront West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Kellogg College in London, raising angry slogans calling her out for the rape and murder of the lady doctor at RG Kar, crimes against women in Sandeshkhali, the genocide of Hindus, and widespread corruption… pic.twitter.com/eT6JlOWYyZ
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya)BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari accused Banerjee of following in the footsteps of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi by allegedly speaking against India on foreign soil.
“Leaders of the INDI alliance abuse Bharat whenever they go on foreign soil. Rahul Gandhi has a history of speaking against the country, and now Mamata Banerjee is following in his footsteps. The INDI alliance leaders hate the progress of the country and only believe in vote bank politics. This is why they continue to be rejected by the people, whether in Bengal or the upcoming 2029 elections. India wants progress, and progress means under PM Modi,” Bhandari told ANI.
| Delhi: Regarding West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's UK visit and remarks at a college in England, BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari says, "Leaders of the INDI alliance abuse Bharat whenever they go on foreign soil. Rahul Gandhi has a history of speaking against the country, and… pic.twitter.com/VQmBKRgXkp
— ANI (@ANI)Shame on Mamta Banerjee ji!
Question from interviewer in London: We in UK are 6 th largest economy, India is 5th largest, soon it will be 3rd largest. I predict it will be 1st largest by 2060.
Mamta Banerjee: I differ that
World acknoledges that under PM ji… pic.twitter.com/FsLeFDsSrC
BJP leader Dilip Ghosh echoed similar sentiments, asserting that Banerjee must answer for incidents like the RG Kar College case.
“We said earlier that when she goes to speak at a university in the UK, she will have to answer what happened in the RG Kar College. Women are not safe in Bengal, and if people are questioning her, she must answer,” Ghosh stated.
| West Bengal: On the UK visit of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and her remarks at a college in England, BJP leader Dilip Ghosh says, "...We said earlier that when she will go to speak at a university in the UK, she will have to answer what happened in the RG Kar… pic.twitter.com/E9YxdQyMeY
— ANI (@ANI)BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya shared a video of the event, claiming that members of the Bengali Hindu community had confronted Banerjee.
“Bengali Hindus confronted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Kellogg College in London, raising angry slogans over the rape and murder of a lady doctor at RG Kar, crimes against women in Sandeshkhali, the genocide of Hindus, and widespread corruption,” Malviya posted on X.
He further added, “She is a disgrace to West Bengal. The Hindu Bengali diaspora wants her out as CM for destroying Bengal’s legacy and putting them through such ignominy.”
The usually belligerent Mamata Banerjee, ensconced in the protection of the West Bengal Police, was a meek shadow of herself at Kellogg College when angry Hindu Bengalis confronted her with slogans condemning her for the genocide of Hindus and the numerous cases of rape and… pic.twitter.com/8OgkJc0SAN
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya)West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has a problem with India becoming the world’s largest economy… This is truly shameful. She is a disgrace to the constitutional office she holds. Who behaves like this on foreign soil? pic.twitter.com/XupCVb4C2i
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya)Just a few posters that were held up to Mamata Banerjee…
She is a disgrace to West Bengal. The Hindu Bengali diaspora wants her out as the Chief Minister for destroying Bengal’s legacy and putting them through such ignominy. pic.twitter.com/XIisrZOfFL
Despite the interruptions, Mamata Banerjee attempted to maintain her composure. Addressing one of the protestors as “brother,” she remarked, “Please remember this... don’t do politics. It’s very easy to do politics here and create negative narratives.”
In a video shared by the TMC, Banerjee responded to the protestors with defiance, stating, “You encourage me. Please smile with the hope that Didi will come every time. Didi doesn’t get bothered, Didi doesn’t bother anybody. Didi walks just like a Royal Bengal Tiger—catch me if you can.”
The Trinamool Congress hailed her resilience, posting, “She doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t falter. The more you heckle, the fiercer she roars. Mamata Banerjee is a Royal Bengal Tiger!”
চিত্ত যেথা ভয়শূন্য, উচ্চ যেথা শির
She doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t falter. The more you heckle, the fiercer she roars. Smt. is a Royal Bengal Tiger! pic.twitter.com/uqrck6sjFd
| Delhi | Regarding West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's UK visit and her remarks at a college in England, TMC MP Saugata Roy says, "I totally condemn this (behaviour by the students with Mamata Banerjee at the university where she was giving speech)...It is for the university… pic.twitter.com/iDJuofjG00
— ANI (@ANI)The protest was organized by SFI-UK, which later released a statement explaining their opposition to Banerjee’s speech.
“SFI-UK held a demonstration at Kellogg College, Oxford, against Mamata Banerjee’s speech. We opposed her blatant lies by asking her for evidence of the social development she claims to pioneer. Instead of allowing us to express our opinions peacefully, the police were called... In support of the students and working masses of West Bengal, SFI-UK raised its voice in opposition to Mamata Banerjee and the TMC’s corrupt, undemocratic rule,” the statement read.
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