West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee faced heated protests during her speech at Oxford University’s Kellogg College in London on Thursday. A group of demonstrators confronted her over post-poll violence in West Bengal, the RG Kar College case, and crimes against women in Sandeshkhali.
BJP leader Amit Malviya shared a video on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that the protesters were Bengali Hindus raising concerns about violence, corruption, and alleged persecution of Hindus in Bengal.
“Bengali Hindus confront Mamata Banerjee at Oxford, accusing her of the rape and murder of the RG Kar lady doctor, crimes against women in Sandeshkhali, Hindu genocide, and corruption,” Malviya posted. He further called her a “disgrace to Bengal”, adding that the Hindu Bengali diaspora no longer wants her as Chief Minister.
The video showed Banerjee being interrupted multiple times, with some in the audience chanting “Go back” and questioning her stance on Hindus in Bengal.
Banerjee responded, “I am for all—Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians.” However, the disruptions continued. Addressing a protester as “brother”, she urged them not to indulge in “negative politics.”
In response, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) posted a video of Banerjee addressing the hecklers with confidence: “You encourage me. Please smile with hope—Didi will come every time, Didi doesn’t get bothered, Didi doesn’t bother anybody, Didi walks just like a Royal Bengal Tiger.”
The TMC captioned the video, stating, “She doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t falter. The more you heckle, the fiercer she roars. Mamata Banerjee is a Royal Bengal Tiger!”
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI-UK) later issued a statement, confirming their role in the protest: “We opposed Mamata Banerjee’s false claims about social development in Bengal. Instead of allowing peaceful expression, police were called. In solidarity with students and working masses in Bengal, we raised our voice against the corrupt and undemocratic rule of TMC.”
During the event, Banerjee also disagreed with a prediction that India will become the world’s largest economy by 2060.
“India has already overtaken the UK, and we are now the 5th largest economy. Soon, India will be the third largest economy in the world, and by 2060, it is predicted to be the largest,” the host remarked. Banerjee responded, “I will differ with that.”
Reacting to this, Amit Malviya criticized Banerjee, stating: “Mamata Banerjee has a problem with India becoming the world’s largest economy. This is truly shameful. Who behaves like this on foreign soil?”
The Oxford incident has further fueled the political battle between BJP and TMC, with the Bengal elections on the horizon. While the BJP accuses Banerjee of failing Bengal, TMC continues to portray her as a resilient leader who won’t back down.
