Kolkata, Mar 28 (PTI) Political reactions flew thick and fast back home in the aftermath of protestors, allegedly by Left-leaning youths, disrupting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s speech on social development and women’s empowerment at Kellogg College under the University of Oxford.

The Trinamool Congress asserted that the disruption was a slur on the country as a whole and that people would “respond to the attack with interest”, while CPI(M)'s student wing SFI stated that the “chief minister has no escape from tough questions from the enraged student community wherever she goes”. Midway through Banerjee’s speech, a section of the audience, who had come with posters, tried to interrupt her address by questioning her on a range of issues, from the RG Kar hospital medic’s rape and murder to the flight of capital from the state, including the Tata Motors’ exit from Singur.

A composed Banerjee tried to placate the protestors by offering to send them “chocolates” and wishing them a “good night’s sleep over their agendas”. She announced that such resistance has only encouraged her more, strengthened her resolve and offered to visit Oxford twice a year, should she be invited to speak.

“This same show can get repeated when your leaders come to visit,” Banerjee warned the protestors, adding, “My Left and ultra-Left friends, this is not the proper way to behave.” Taking to his social media handle, TMC spokesperson and part of Banerjee’s entourage to the UK, Kunal Ghosh wrote, “A motley band of Left supporters brought disrepute to the state and country by their actions. They have forgotten about everything that happened in Bengal during the Left rule. Confronted by the audience, they fled the scene. Instead of raising questions during the question and answer session, these people displayed their culture.” The party’s IT cell chief Debangshu Bhattacharya questioned the identity of the protesters.

“These people were neither students of Oxford, nor were they British citizens. By trying to insult the chief minister, they ended up insulting India. People will give them a befitting reply with interest,” said Bhattacharya.

Education Minister Bratya Basu, who himself was at the receiving end of students’ disgruntlement at Jadavpur University recently, called the protest “a reflection of collective hopelessness among the red and saffron camps”. “It has become a norm for elements like these to attack our leaders in the midst of an ongoing function. Mamata Banerjee was representing the state and the country and this wasn’t a political platform. I would like to repeat after my leader that these people should, instead, come back to the country and strengthen their party to fight communal forces,” Basu said.

The SFI, though, maintained that the CM cannot hope to get away with “her back-to-back lies about Bengal” on foreign soil.

Leader of the Left students’ body Debanjan Das said, “SFI will not let her go so easily. She will have to answer questions on why the number of student drop-outs in Bengal is on the rise and why their rights to education, expression and security are getting curtailed by each passing day. She must answer why the RG Kar victim is yet to receive justice and why students’ elections have been halted in the state’s campuses." The SFI will question her wherever she goes, he said adding that Banerjee may choose to escape or answer them but she will not have a respite. Aniket Mahato, a key functionary of West Bengal Junior Doctors Front, said the rape-murder of the RG Kar medic and the alleged efforts of the state administration to divert attention from the larger conspiracy involved has hung Bengal’s head before the world in shame.

“It’s natural that the CM had to face those uncomfortable questions from the expatriate Bengalis living in the UK, including students. It is unfortunate the way she responded. She did not have a reply. Till real justice is done in the Abhaya case, the CM will have to face similar situations wherever in the world she goes,” Mahato said.

Senior Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury said such aspersions won't help instill confidence in foreign investors about the state’s investment climate.

“Does anyone know how much investment has actually poured in after such overseas visits? She owes a reply to the people of Bengal about the projected investment from the visit and what was turned into reality. She should provide break-ups of visit expenses supposedly borne by the state,” he said.

Alleging “insensitivity” on Banerjee’s part in fielding questions on the RG Kar crime, Chowdhury said, “She could have said that a probe into the shocking crime was on and being conducted by the central agency and she hopes for quick justice. Instead, she showed her impatience by her brusque reply and sidestepping the issue.” Referring to Banerjee’s comment at the Kellogg Collage stage where she disagreed with PM Narendra Modi’s prediction of India becoming the world’s number one economic superpower by 2060, BJP spokesperson Sajal Ghosh charged the chief minister with “lowering the nation’s image before the world”.

“How can a CM utter such words? What she said is shocking. She might have political differences with the Centre, but when she was speaking at an international event she shouldn't have said such things,” Ghosh said. PTI SMY SUS NN