BJP, CPM had tacit understanding to disrupt Mamata’s speech at Kellogg College: TMC
Times of India | 31 March 2025
12 Kolkata: Trinamool Congress on Sunday alleged a "tacit understanding" between BJP and CPM to disrupt CM Mamata Banerjee's opening remarks at Oxford's Kellogg College in front of the Indian diaspora as well as UK-based academics and students, claiming it laid bare "who is whose friend". The party claimed that the misbehaviour of six persons was shut down by the audience, who forced them to leave the auditorium with their tails between their legs.
"If they wanted answers to their questions, why didn't they wait for the question-and-answer session, like others? Why did they unsuccessfully try to disrupt her speech?" party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh told reporters. He claimed two among the protesters had associations with Overseas Friends of BJP — one was a discredited anaesthesiologist, the other too had Kolkata links. "For all the big talk by their friends in Bengal, who are trying to equate misbehaviour, incivility and boorishness with protests, we challenge these six to put out their flight details on their next Kolkata visit. We (Trinamool) will greet them with sweets and flowers and try to provide answers for the questions they asked. Our courtesy should not be mistaken as weakness," Ghosh said.
Ghosh, who accompanied the CM to London, said: "The irony is that Kellogg College authorities asked the CM whether they should remove the protesters. She said no. It is a democracy, she said, and they can protest with posters. But later, the audience got restive and angry. They shouted back that they had come to hear the CM, not the protesters. They forced them out. The session had a question-and-answer section. Had they really wanted to ask questions, they could have. But that was not their intention. They wanted to disrupt, take photographs, post them on social media and flee."
"Incidentally, just before the session, the CM had tea with Oxford professors and academics, and they asked a whole lot of questions. The CM replied to them patiently. She also wanted to answer all questions in the session. But frankly, what the six could do, or not do, does not matter since the CM highlighted Bengal and addressed every question she was asked later. There is a lot of positivity in the engagements she had," he added.
"Now the problem is vultures have descended and are fighting for credit for these six persons. Something called SFI UK — well, they may have units in the sun, moon, Mars, but nothing in Bengal — took credit for the protests. Now BJP claims they had protested. So, they had a tacit understanding," Ghosh said.
Bengal BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya said: "There was a question about the condition of Hindus in Bengal. Is it necessary that only a BJP supporter would ask about this? People in Chittaranjan Park or Karol Bagh are asking the same question. It was a spontaneous one. CPM has a tacit understanding with Trinamool. There is a consistent effort by Trinamool to highlight CPM at multiple forums and provide them with some oxygen."
CPM state secretary Md Selim said: "Some people suddenly started shouting about Hindutva. They also raised the issue when SFI was protesting and questioning her. It was clear that they were trying to distract from SFI's questions. I will not be surprised if this was stage-managed by Trinamool."
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