Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is in the
thick of a controversy yet again, this time for her comments on the
doctor community. "Often what doctors are doing is, they just write...
without confirming dengue they are writing anything... someone dies of
heart failure, they write dengue. They are not even trying to diagnose.
It has become easy. Not all but some doctors. So everyone is earning a
bad name," Ms Banerjee said at a press conference today.
Ms Banerjee's government has been often accused of being intolerant. The Kolkata Police allegedly ordered the stop of sale of the book titled 'Musalmander ki Koronio' (What Muslims Should Do), authored by IPS officer Nazrul Islam, that reportedly criticises the state government for failing to improve the condition of Muslims in the state. On Friday, police raided the office premises, sales counter and godown of Mitra and Ghosh, the publishers of the book. The cops also allegedly closed the counter where the book was being sold.
But the author himself has refused to be drawn into the controversy, having maintaining a stoic silence so far.
While most say that there is barely anything in the 102-page Bengali book that could ruffle feathers, parts of it have certainly raised eyebrows. A case in point being the book questioning the Trinamool government's policy to pay stipends to Imams and its stress on madrasa education instead of modern education for Muslims. The book also criticises politicians for using terms like khuda hafiz (goodbye) and inshallah (God Willing) incorrectly.
Hence, the police action against the publishers of the book has sparked an outrage, with several questioning the government's censorship policies. "Now you are in power, if I just criticise you or I want to say something to you for revision of your statement or policies, it that a crime? I can't understand that," noted writer Sunil Gangopadhyay said.
The incident has re-ignited the debate on the Trinamool government's alleged highhandedness, with several having slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her autocratic style of functioning. The arrest of Ambikesh Mahapatra, a professor in Kolkata's Jadavpur University, in April for circulating a cartoon lampooning the chief minister had generated a lot of criticism for her government. Last month, a man named Shiladitya was arrested after he asked the Chief Minister a question at a public rally at Belpahari in the state. Ms Banejee had reacted angrily to the question; pointing to him, she claimed he was a Maoist and ordered the police to arrest him.
Ms Banerjee's government has been often accused of being intolerant. The Kolkata Police allegedly ordered the stop of sale of the book titled 'Musalmander ki Koronio' (What Muslims Should Do), authored by IPS officer Nazrul Islam, that reportedly criticises the state government for failing to improve the condition of Muslims in the state. On Friday, police raided the office premises, sales counter and godown of Mitra and Ghosh, the publishers of the book. The cops also allegedly closed the counter where the book was being sold.
But the author himself has refused to be drawn into the controversy, having maintaining a stoic silence so far.
While most say that there is barely anything in the 102-page Bengali book that could ruffle feathers, parts of it have certainly raised eyebrows. A case in point being the book questioning the Trinamool government's policy to pay stipends to Imams and its stress on madrasa education instead of modern education for Muslims. The book also criticises politicians for using terms like khuda hafiz (goodbye) and inshallah (God Willing) incorrectly.
Hence, the police action against the publishers of the book has sparked an outrage, with several questioning the government's censorship policies. "Now you are in power, if I just criticise you or I want to say something to you for revision of your statement or policies, it that a crime? I can't understand that," noted writer Sunil Gangopadhyay said.
The incident has re-ignited the debate on the Trinamool government's alleged highhandedness, with several having slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her autocratic style of functioning. The arrest of Ambikesh Mahapatra, a professor in Kolkata's Jadavpur University, in April for circulating a cartoon lampooning the chief minister had generated a lot of criticism for her government. Last month, a man named Shiladitya was arrested after he asked the Chief Minister a question at a public rally at Belpahari in the state. Ms Banejee had reacted angrily to the question; pointing to him, she claimed he was a Maoist and ordered the police to arrest him.
