Mamata says 'haven’t uttered a word against students' movement'; Slams BJP for doing 'anarchy'

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Thursday that she had not “uttered a single word against students or their movement”, and alleged that there was a “malicious disinformation campaign” over a speech she had made on Wednesday.

“I detect a malicious disinformation campaign in some print, electronic and digital media, which has been unleashed with reference to a speech that I made in our students’ programme yesterday,” she said, referring to the speech she delivered Wednesday, on the occasion of the foundation day of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad – the party’s student wing.

“Let me most emphatically clarify that I have not uttered a single word against the (medical etc.) students or their movements. I totally support their movement. Their movement is genuine. I never threatened them, as some people are accusing me of doing. This allegation is completely false,” she said in Thursday’s X post.

She said it was the BJP that she was targeting, as they are “trying to create anarchy”. “I have spoken against the BJP. I have spoken against them because, with the support of the Government of India, they are threatening the democracy in our state and trying to create anarchy. With support from the Centre, they are trying to create lawlessness, and I have raised my voice against them,” she said in the post.

Clarifying remarks she made in Wednesday’s speech, she said: “…The phrase (‘phonsh kara’) that I had used in my speech yesterday is a quote from Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa. The legendary saint had said that occasionally, there is a need to raise one’s voice. When there are crimes and criminal offences, the voice of protest has to be raised. My speech on that point was a direct allusion to the great Ramakrishnite saying.”