London: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while addressing Kellogg College, Oxford University, in London, on Thursday, was interrupted suddenly by a group of protesting students, who tried to disrupt her speech and embarrass the Chief Minister by raising the issue of post-poll violence and the RG Kar College and hospital rape case.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee remained calm during a protest at Oxford University, responding courteously and earning applause from the audience. She concluded her speech without interruption.
She was heard telling the protesters, "Tell your party to increase its strength in our state (West Bengal) so that they can fight with us."
In response to heckling, she showed an old image of herself with a bandaged head, citing an attempt on her life during her opposition days. Former cricket captain Sourav Ganguly was present during the incident.
The drama unfolded when an audience member asked about specific investment proposals worth "lakhs of crores" that Banerjee claimed the state had received. As she tried to respond, another audience member interrupted, prompting Banerjee to ask the audience to stop, reminding them it wasn't a press conference.
Ultimately, the protesters were escorted out of the hall after the rest of the audience collectively rallied against them.
The Chief Minister was invited to speak at Kellogg College on the social development of women, children and the marginalised sections of the society.
While speaking, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was mentioning projects like 'Swasthya Saathi' and 'Kanyashree' in the state.
During a speech about West Bengal's industrial situation, a discussion about investments in Tata's TCS sparked a protest. Some audience members stood up, holding placards that referenced the state's election and post-poll violence, as well as the RG rape case.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee remained calm as protesters shouted during her speech. When they raised the RG Kar rape case, Banerjee clarified the case was pending and under central government jurisdiction.
Mamata Banerjee further said, "Don't do politics here, this is not a platform for politics. Go to my state and do politics with me."
The protesters also raised the issue of the Jadavpur University incident.
Banerjee firmly told protestors, "Don't disrespect your institution by insulting me. I represent our country; don't insult it." Guests collectively condemned the protesters, forcing them to leave. The event, attended by expatriate Indians and international representatives, was marred by this unexpected incident, prompting the organisers to apologise to Banerjee.
The Chief Minister, however, calmly said, "You have encouraged me to come back here again and again. Remember, Didi does not care about anyone. Didi walks like a Royal Bengal tiger. If you can catch me, catch me!"
Meanwhile, the All India Trinamool Congress wrote on X: "She doesn't flinch. She doesn't falter. The more you heckle, the fiercer she roars. @MamataOfficial is a Royal Bengal Tiger! #DidiAtOxford."
"These people do this everywhere. They do it wherever I go. I support every religion. I support Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians. Do not name one caste, name everyone. What you people are doing is not right. The politics you people are doing, my ultra-left friends and communal friends don't do that," she said.
The protest was led by members of the Students' Federation of India (SFI-UK). After the event, SFI-UK issued a statement taking responsibility for the protest, saying they opposed Banerjee's "corrupt and undemocratic rule" in West Bengal.
(inputs from IANS)