Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi slammed his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee for allegedly making "negative" and "hateful" comments on the coastal state.
Referring to the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor in a Kolkata hospital, Majhi also alleged that Banerjee was making "vindictive" comments "without giving justice to the victim of the heinous crime".
"If Bengal is set on fire, Assam, northeast, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Delhi will also be affected," Banerjee had said, addressing a TMC students' wing rally in Kolkata on Wednesday.
"Odisha is a peaceful state and its people are responsible...who has given you the authority to make negative, divisive and insensitive remarks on Odisha? The people of Odisha will not accept such a hateful, negative remark and insensitive attitude towards our state," Majhi said on X on Wednesday night.
He urged Banerjee to refrain from making such comments.
"Without giving justice to the victim of the heinous crime, the vindictive comments you are making are dangerous for the country. I urge you to refrain from making this kind of statement and remain calm,” Majhi said on the microblogging site.
On August 9, the police recovered the body of the woman's postgraduate trainee doctor from the seminar hall of the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
The incident triggered a country-wide protest, demanding justice for the deceased medic.
“Mamata Banerjee, being a woman, has failed to protect women in her state. Instead of giving priority to the safety of women, today she is trying to divide the country. This effort will never be fulfilled, the people will give a befitting reply," Majhi added.