West Bengal Governor announces ’social boycott’ of Mamata Banerjee over RG Kar impasse: ‘Won’t share public platform’

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose announced a ‘social boycott’ of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday amid continued protests over the rape and murder of a Kolkata doctor. The development came soon after the CM offered to resign during a meeting with the agitating junior doctors.

“I will socially boycott the Chief Minister in solidarity with the Bengal society. Socially boycott means I will not be sharing any public platform with the Chief Minister nor will I participate in any public program which involves the Chief Minister. My role as Governor will be confined to the constitutional obligations which I have discharged in respect of the Chief Minister. Nothing more, nothing less,” he said.

Bose said that he was ‘deeply pained’ by the allegations levelled against the Kolkata Police Commission and reiterated his commitment to the “Constitution of India, people of West Bengal, parents of victim and those protesting for justice”.

The governor dubbed Banerjee the “Lady Macbeth of West Bengal” who held the waters of Hoogly river but could not ‘cleanse her tainted hands’. He also accused the state Home Minister of failing to restore the law and order situation in the state.

“The Health Minister miserably failed to contain the liquidation of the medical system in the state. It is irony that the Health Minister happens to be the Home Minister. The Lady Macbeth of West Bengal holds the waters of Hoogly but cannot cleanse the tainted hands. The Home Minister is CM and CM is protesting instead of protecting. There is violence in the street, hospital, and cities,” the Governor said.

Meanwhile Banerjee met with the protesting doctors on Thursday evening and apologised to the people of West Bengal for the continued deadlock.

"We have tolerated a lot of canards and insults for the last 33 days. For the sake of the people, I am ready to resign. I also want the victim to get justice, but this is not the way. I thought the junior doctors would engage in talks for the sake of the patients and on humanitarian grounds. We have been waiting for over two hours, hoping that reason would guide the junior doctors... I apologise to the people who expected that the issue would be resolved today," she said.

(With inputs from agencies)