The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of hijacking protests over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. TMC MP Saket Gokhale claimed that the BJP had launched a "sinister toolkit" campaign with the intent to destabilize the West Bengal government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
In a detailed social media post, Gokhale alleged that the BJP's IT cell was orchestrating an organized campaign to demand Mamata Banerjee?s resignation, particularly after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case on August 15. He pointed out that the hashtag 'Mamata Must Resign' was heavily promoted on social media, with over two lakh posts made within four days, reaching more than 91 million users. Gokhale suggested that this surge was driven by bot accounts, noting that nearly 45% of the posts originated from the United States and other countries, including Russia and Nigeria.
Gokhale also criticized the CBI for its lack of progress since taking over the investigation, accusing the agency of being complicit in the BJP?s alleged agenda. He argued that genuine protesters had been replaced by members of the BJP Youth Morcha (BJYM) and other BJP workers, transforming the protests into a political campaign against the TMC government. The TMC leader emphasized that while there had been no updates from the CBI, there was also no protest against the CBI?s inaction, further suggesting the BJP?s role in manipulating the protests.
The incident has sparked a significant political controversy in West Bengal, with the BJP using the case to criticize Mamata Banerjee?s administration, while the TMC accuses the BJP of exploiting the tragedy for political gain. Mamata Banerjee has also alleged the involvement of BJP and CPI(M) workers in vandalism at the hospital during the 'Reclaim the Night' protests on August 14-15.
As both parties continue to exchange accusations, the case remains under investigation by the CBI, and the political implications of this controversy are likely to unfold in the coming weeks. The TMC has vowed to respond to what it perceives as the BJP's attempts to destabilize the government, signaling that the political battle in West Bengal is far from over.
