India
oi-Amit Vasudev
If
sources
are
to
be
believed,
a
rift
has
reportedly
emerged
between
West
Bengal
Chief
Minister
Mamata
Banerjee
and
her
nephew,
Trinamool
Congress’s
General
Secretary
Abhishek
Banerjee,
over
the
handling
of
the
transfer
of
Dr.
Sandip
Ghosh,
the
former
principal
of
Kolkata’s
RG
Kar
Medical
College.
This
transfer
followed
protests
over
the
brutal
rape
and
murder
of
a
trainee
doctor
at
the
hospital,
reported
India
Today.
Abhishek
Banerjee
has
distanced
himself
from
the
controversy,
notably
choosing
not
to
participate
in
Mamata
Banerjee’s
rallies
and
padyatras
demanding
swift
action
from
the
CBI,
which
is
investigating
the
case.
Sources
close
to
Abhishek
suggest
that
he
is
upset
over
the
suspension
and
subsequent
plum
posting
of
Dr.
Ghosh
at
Calcutta
National
Medical
College.
He
reportedly
believes
that
Mamata
Banerjee,
known
for
her
clean
image,
did
not
take
strong
enough
action
against
alleged
corrupt
practices
at
RG
Kar
Medical
College
and
Hospital.
A
group
of
doctors
close
to
Mamata
Banerjee,
perceived
to
support
Dr.
Ghosh,
is
under
scrutiny
for
alleged
corruption,
with
Abhishek
feeling
a
ruthless
approach
was
necessary
to
maintain
the
party’s
image.
Following
an
attack
on
the
hospital
by
miscreants
on
August
14,
Abhishek
Banerjee
took
swift
action
by
calling
the
Police
Commissioner,
highlighting
the
urgency,
unlike
his
aunt’s
relatively
measured
response.
In
contrast,
Mamata
Banerjee
has
blamed
the
factional
feud
on
Santanu
Sen,
a
former
Rajya
Sabha
MP
close
to
Abhishek
Banerjee,
whom
she
removed
from
positions
within
the
NRS
Hospital’s
patients’
committee
and
the
party’s
spokesperson
role.
Mamata
Banerjee
has
questioned
her
nephew’s
lack
of
active
involvement
in
the
crisis,
suggesting
that
he
should
participate
in
rallies
and
demonstrate
responsibility.
Meanwhile,
Abhishek
Banerjee
is
set
to
leave
for
New
York
for
eye
surgery
in
mid-September,
adding
another
layer
of
complexity
to
the
situation.
The
differences
between
Mamata
Banerjee
and
Abhishek
Banerjee
are
reminiscent
of
past
conflicts
within
the
CPI-M
regime,
where
disagreements
between
leaders
like
Jyoti
Basu
and
Promod
Dasgupta
were
famously
described
as
conflicts
between
the
state
government’s
Writers’
Building
headquarters
and
the
party’s
Alimuddin
Street
headquarters.
Today,
these
internal
rifts
are
playing
out
between
the
government
headquarters
at
Nabanna
and
Abhishek’s
office
at
Camac
Street.
Background
of
the
Kolkata
Rape-Murder
Case:
The
trainee
doctor,
a
second-year
postgraduate
student,
was
found
dead
in
the
seminar
hall
of
RG
Kar
Medical
College
and
Hospital
on
August
9,
triggering
nationwide
protests.
Sanjoy
Roy,
a
civic
volunteer
with
Kolkata
Police,
was
arrested
in
connection
with
the
case,
now
being
handled
by
the
CBI.
Demonstrations
by
resident
doctors
and
others
have
called
for
action
against
the
culprits
and
measures
to
improve
the
safety
of
doctors
at
their
workplaces.
On
Tuesday,
the
Supreme
Court
criticized
the
West
Bengal
government
over
lapses
in
the
case,
including
delays
in
filing
an
FIR.
