Abhishek Banerjee, the MP from Diamond Harbour and all India general secretary of the Trinamul Congress, strongly criticised the central government for delaying the approval of the Aparajita Bill, which seeks exemplary punishment for heinous crimes like the rape and murder of female doctor at R G Kar Hospital.

He pointed out that the bill has been pending for the President’s approval for two months. However, the central government, if willing, could pass it in just a day by issuing an ordinance. He also stated that the Aparajita Bill provides measures to ensure punishment within just 50 days, adding, “A rape occurs every 10 minutes in India, yet the central government remains indifferent because most rapes happen in BJP-ruled states. This is why the Center lacks enthusiasm. If necessary, I will fight for this bill alone in Parliament. The culprits of R G Kar incident should not be alive.”

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Additionally, Abhishek Banerjee launched the Sebashrai initiative to provide free modern healthcare services in his Diamond Harbour constituency.

This programme, spanning 70 days, includes 280 camps offering advanced medical care. Nearly 2,000 booths in Diamond Harbour will benefit from this initiative. More than 1,200 doctors, including Rajya Sabha MP Dr Santanu Sen and his wife Kakoli Sen, have joined the programme. Banerjee also announced a Doctors Summit 2025, planning to involve 5,000 doctors from across Kolkata and other districts. On Saturday, the programme was inaugurated at the Samannay auditorium in Amtala. In light of the R G Kar Hospital incident, a minute’s silence was observed for the female PGT doctor. Abhishek personally interacted with over 1,200 doctors from various fields, including modern medicine and AYUSH, as part of the initiative. Camps will be held sequentially in all seven Assembly constituencies within the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, with each camp running for 10 days.

Abhishek replaced this year’s annual MP Cup tournament with this large-scale healthcare programme due to the gravity of recent events. The programme includes a helpline for doctors to address complaints and facilitate communication. Several camps will be set up in each Assembly constituency, with a plan for at least 280 camps overall.

The MP pointed out that “the way the CM spoke to junior docs on multiple occasions and took administrative actions is also something you won’t find anywhere. But will changing police commissioner or director of health stop rapes?”

On the Bangladesh issue, he said, “I have cleared my stand that you have to follow the Constitution of the country and the state has no role in it. The onus is on the Union government to take it up with the Bangladesh government in the strongest manner or in the language they understand.

Slamming the BJP, Abhishek said, “What is happening in Bangladesh is not a political issue. For BJP everything is politics – be it RG Kar or Bangladesh. It’s your government in power – why don’t BJP leaders go and protest in Delhi?”

On the national Working committee meeting and its outcome, he said, “If the party has taken a decision and whoever they felt is capable have been assigned with necessary responsibility. It is up to them now in coming days to prove themselves. Whenever I have been assigned with any responsibility, I have tried to live up to the expectations.”

On organisational reshuffle, he said, “I have done my work. It’s up to the party to make the necessary changes, if at all. I submitted my report in September.