'If Bengal burns ... ': Mamata Banerjee targets PM Modi over protests, warns of consequences; BJP hits back

NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who is under all-round attack over the Kolkata rape-murder case, on Wednesday trained her guns at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and warned of adverse consequences for other states if the BJP tried to instigate trouble in Bengal.
"Some people think this is Bangladesh. I love Bangladesh; they speak like us and share our culture.But remember, Bangladesh is a separate country and India is a separate country. Modi Babu you are using your party to cause fire here. But remember, if you burn Bengal .... Assam, northeast, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Delhi won't remain unaffected. We will disturb your chair also," a cornered Mamata said at the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) foundation day rally.
Mamata unleashed a scathing attack at the BJP which has been spearheading protests against the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's R G Kar Medical College and Hospital and asked the Trinamool workers to respond. "The time has come to resist and protest when you are insulted. When faced with ugly attacks, do not take it lying down. How you respond is up to you," the Trinamool Congress chief said.
West Bengal BJP chief and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar accused Mamata of making "anti-national" remarks and shot off a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah urging the Centre to take cognisance of her statements. The West Bengal BJP leader charged Mamata with blatantly endorsing revenge politics and urged Amit Shah to safeguard the interests of people of West Bengal.
"It is unthinkable and unprecedented for a chief minister, who is constitutionally bound to rise above partisan attitudes, to make such intimidating statements that pose a threat to democracy," he said.
Bandh to defame West Bengal
Mamata, on the other hand, accused BJP of hatching a conspiracy to derail probe into the rape-murder incident.
“They called the bandh since they wanted political dividends over a dead body. The BJP is trying to exploit the emotions of ordinary people in the wake of the death of the young woman. They want to malign Bengal and plotted a conspiracy to derail the probe into her death so that the victim and her family do not get justice,” Mamata said.
She also alleged that the BJP was "indulging in large-scale cyber crimes using AI, causing social unrest".
"We have dedicated this day to the RG Kar doctor. We want justice but BJP today called for a bandh. They don't want justice, they are only trying to defame Bengal," Mamata Banerjee said.
On the demand for her resignation in the wake of the RG Kar hospital incident, she said, “I will ask BJP why Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not resign owning up to his failure to prevent atrocities and sexual attacks on women in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur and Assam. I ask why only an accused was killed in an encounter in Assam?"
The BJP is making such demands as it has suffered a string of defeats in elections and knows that it won't be able to win in future, Banerjee said.
Amendment to ensure capital punishment for convicted rapists
Mamata Banerjee announced that her government would pass an amendment to existing laws next week to ensure capital punishment to convicted rapists. Banerjee said that she would sit for dharna outside Raj Bhavan here if the governor delays in giving assent to the amended bill or forwards it to the President for ratification.
The chief minister also said that the TMC will launch a movement from Saturday at the state's grassroots to create pressure on the Centre to pass legislation for capital punishment of convicted rapists.
“We will pass the amended bill in a special session of the assembly next week. We will then send it to the governor for his nod. We will stage dharna outside Raj Bhavan if he sits on the bill,” she said and added "women will be at the forefront of the proposed dharna accompanied by 'their brothers'".
'Please come back to work'
Mamata Banerjee urged the agitating junior doctors of Bengal, who have struck work for 20 days, now to urgently consider returning to duty.
“I have remained sympathetic towards the cause of the doctors from the very beginning since they were seeking justice for their colleague. We did not take any action against them although so many days have passed since the incident. We understand your pain. But please come back to work now since patients are suffering,” she appealed.
The police recovered the body of the woman's postgraduate trainee doctor from the seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The junior doctors of state-run hospitals have been on cease work since that evening, demanding justice for the victim and strong security measures in hospitals.
Banerjee added no FIR was lodged against any doctor so far as she did not want any medic's career to be plagued by police cases.