Suvendu Adhikari calls Mamata Banerjee’s Oxford visit ‘fake’, Trinamool slams back

Allegations of fake Oxford University visit by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee spark controversy among political leaders.

The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Suvendu Adhikari has alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s upcoming visit to the Oxford University in the U.K. at the end of March is “fake”. 

“The truth is that Mamata Banerjee will speak on ‘Social Development: Empowerment of Women and Children’ at the Kellogg College. Kellogg College is one of the affiliated colleges of the Oxford University, just like 35 others,” Mr. Adhikari said. 

The BJP leader said projecting the event as an “Oxford University discussion” was a deliberate attempt to mislead people because there were multiple colleges under the prestigious university. He compared it to calling a lecture at a Calcutta University-affiliated college a “Calcutta University event”. 

He also said that this was part of a larger public relations campaign to boost the Chief Minister’s image, and questioned the credibility of such portrayals. 

Mr. Adhikari posted snapshots of a letter to the University of Oxford by a Right to Information (RTI) activist, Biswanath Goswami, in which the latter has raised questions over the CM’s visit and address, and claimed there was no record of it.

A reply from the university said they did “not hold a central log of events organised in departments, colleges, and societies”. 

Senior BJP leader Amit Malviya also commented on the issue and said Ms. Banerjee had “mastered the art of deception”. “Such misrepresentation tarnishes India’s reputation. Mamata Banerjee should apologize to the people of West Bengal. It would be a travesty if Oxford University does not permanently ban her as a speaker, even in the future,” Mr. Malviya added.