West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee denied claims accusing her of threatening doctors, and alleged that a malicious disinformation campaign was unleashed against her speech yesterday. 

The Chief Minister asserted that she did not utter a single word against medical students or their movement against the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Taking to social media platform X, Mamata Banerjee said that she detects a malicious disinformation campaign in some print, electronic and digital media which has been unleashed with reference to a speech that she made in the party’s students’ programme yesterday.

She clarified that she did not utter a single word against the medical students or their movements. Terming the doctors movement genuine, she expressed her support to them. She also maintained that she never threatened the doctors, as some people are accusing, adding that the allegation is completely false.

However, she mentioned that she spoke against the BJP in her speech because they had been threatening democracy in West Bengal with the support of the Centre, and is trying to create anarchy. Mamata Banerjee in her speech on Wednesday said that she had been very patient during the entire episode, and urged the protesting doctors to return to work. Notably, the BJP claimed that she had threatened the doctors.

In the social media post, CM Banerjee also clarified that the phrase “phonsh kara” is a quote from Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa Deva. She explained that the legendary saint had said that occasionally there is a need to raise one’s voice. She continued that when there are crimes and criminal offences, voices of protest have to be raised, and her speech on that point was a direct allusion to the great Ramakrishna’s saying.

Responding to BJP’s 12-hour long ‘Bengal Bandh’ call, Mamata Banerjee claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was using his party to cause a fire in Bengal over the Kolkata doctor rape and murder.

She asserted that some people think this is Bangladesh, but they should remember Bangladesh is a separate country, and India is a separate country. Mentioning that PM Modi is using his party to cause fire in Kolkata, the Chief Minister said that if they burn Bengal, Assam, North-East, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, then Delhi too shall burn, and they will topple his chair.

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren on Wednesday said that his decision to join the BJP was taken in the interest of Jharkhand and he will resign from the JMM and as Minister.

The senior tribal leader Soren made it clear that he is not afraid of any situation. Soren who met Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi earlier this week and announced joining the BJP reached Ranchi today along with his son and was greeted by a large number of his supporters.

Asked about the allegation that he is under surveillance, the former CM said he is not afraid of any situation and indicated that he will resign from JMM and as minister later on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that Champai Soren had been under surveillance of his own government’s police for the last five months.

Two sub-inspectors (SIs) of the Special Branch of Jharkhand Police were caught by Soren’s people in a Delhi hotel while they were keeping watch on the ex-chief minister, Sarma claimed.

On Tuesday Champai Soren had asserted that he is joining the BJP to save tribal identity and existence, which is at stake in the state’s Santhal Pargana region due to “rampant” infiltration from Bangladesh.

The senior JMM leader, who briefly held the Chief Minister’s post after Hemant Soren’s resignation, said only the saffron party seems serious over the issue of tribals, while others are indulging in vote bank politics.

In a post on X, Soren said today Bangladeshi infiltration has become a big problem in Santhal Pargana, the holy land of (freedom fighters) Baba Tilka Manjhi and Sido-Kanhu. “What can be more unfortunate than the fact that these infiltrators are occupying the land of the descendants of those heroes who never accepted slavery from the British”, he added, the dignity of our mothers, sisters, and daughters is in danger.

National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah on Sunday said he was thankful to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for noticing his party’s election manifesto.

People who were not ready to read it, have now been compelled to go through it now, Abdullah added.

“I am thankful to the home minister from the core of my heart for talking about our manifesto. For a small party, contesting an election in a far-flung area of the country, it is a huge thing that the country’s home minister has seen our manifesto,” Abdullah told reporters here after a party function.

Shah on Friday slammed the Congress for its alliance with the NC for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls, accusing the party of repeatedly risking the country’s unity and security in its “greed for power”.

The Congress has once again “exposed its ulterior motives by allying with the Abdullah family’s National Conference,” the BJP leader said on X and posted 10 questions for the national party and its leader Rahul Gandhi, while listing several of the manifesto promises of the NC.

However, Abdullah said he was thankful to Shah for taking notice of the NC’s manifesto, saying, “He forced those people who till now were not ready to read our manifesto.” “It is regretful that the Home “Minister saw only one paragraph in our manifesto and he also talked about certain things which are not in our manifesto like name-changing. I re-read our manifesto after the home minister’s tweet to check whether I missed it, but it does not talk about that. But, still I am thankful to the home minister,” he added.

“Does the Congress want ‘Shankaracharya Hill’ to be known as ‘Takht-e-Suleiman’, and ‘Hari Hill’ as ‘Koh-e-Maran?” Shah had asked.

To a question about the reports of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) leaders mulling to contest the polls independently, Abdullah said it was a welcome step.

“This is the beauty of democracy. I read in the media that JeI wanted the ban on it to be revoked so that they contest the polls. Unfortunately, the election bugle was sounded and the ban could not be revoked.

“Today, there are reports that they will contest as independent candidates. Bismillah. We wanted them to contest on their own symbol in JeI’s name, but let them contest even as independents. Let them plunge into the field, bring their manifesto and their promises. Then it is up to the people to decide whom they would like to vote,” Abdullah added.

Abdullah, who represented the constituency in the erstwhile Assembly from 2009-14 when he was the chief minister, will contest the upcoming J&K election from Ganderbal seat.