Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 29 : Amid the outcry over the Kolkata gang rape case, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday said that West Bengal need to be "free" from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), drawing parallels between the party's governance in the state and the Emergency imposed by the Congress in 1975.
Speaking during a press conference, Pradhan criticised the TMC for perpetuating a "dangerous mindset" that he claims undermines the state's educational and social fabric.
"50 years ago, an Emergency was declared to dismantle, tear apart, and disregard the country's constitution... It is disheartening that the party carrying forward that Congress culture is the Trinamool Congress. It has not yet overcome that mindset," Pradhan said.
He argued that West Bengal, once a beacon of educational excellence, is now suffering under TMC's rule, particularly highlighting recent incidents of gangrapes at RG Kar Medical College and a law college as evidence of the party's failure.
"Bengal has been a laboratory for women's progress for many years... Whether it is RG Kar Medical College or a Law College, it reflects their mindset, even though the head of the ruling party is a woman. What kind of statements are coming from their leaders? This is a very dangerous mindset in a republic," Pradhan stated.
Pradhan's remarks come amidst ongoing protests and political turmoil in West Bengal following the gang rape of a law student at South Calcutta Law College on June 25, as well as the earlier rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College in August 2024, which had fuelled public outrage and drawn sharp criticism of the TMC's handling of law and order in the state.
The Union Minister emphasised the state government's responsibility for campus security, a point of contention as the TMC and opposition parties clash over accountability.
"Security (of educational campuses) is the responsibility of the state government... Bengal used to be the center of education. Now it needs to be freed from TMC," he asserted.