'People have lost hope of finding justice in this state ... I want to give these victims, their families, the people of this state, a voice.'
Key Points
- 'I know a local BJP party worker and through him I approached the party asking for a ticket.'
- 'The only party which is strong enough to wrench this crime-steeped party that rules the state -- the TMC -- from its roots and throw it out of Bengal, is the BJP.'
- 'When people think of Bengal they must be able to see that it has transformed from being a cesspool of crime and anarchy to that of law and order, where crime gets punishment.'
The Bharatiya Janata Party on March 25 fielded the mother of the RG Kar doctor as its candidate from the Panihati seat in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal in the third list of 19 candidates for the state polls next month.
Ratna Debnath used to run a happy household -- her husband has maintained that while he was the breadwinner -- she was the backbone.
Her daughter, a trainee doctor, doing her MD (in pulmonary medicine) at the reputed RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata was the 'diamond' in the family. The three were tied to the hip -- their struggles, victories, happiness, celebrations - always shared.
Then, on the night of August 8-9, 2024, life as they knew it, ended.
Their daughter, given the moniker Tilottama or Abhaya, was brutally raped and murdered while on duty at the hospital.
"We had only one purpose in life -- to get justice for my girl. That is still on. But justice cannot be limited only for our daughter -- there are thousands of victims like her in West Bengal, who were either killed or silenced by the ruling party Trinamool Congress.
"You can only get justice if you are in power. Being in power gives you a voice. I and my husband have gone from pillar to post, from the high court to the Supreme Court, begging for justice. Have we got it? No. Have other people in this state got it? No. And we won't get it and they won't get it either unless and until Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool party is thrown out," says Ratna Debnath.
Petite, soft-spoken, polite and erudite, her husband says there was never any doubt about who should get the ticket from the couple. "She is strong beyond belief. If she wants something, like our daughter, she will fight and fight some more till she gets it."
BJP candidate Ratna Debnath in conversation with Rediff's Swarupa Dutt.
Did you approach the BJP, or did they approach you?
No, we approached the BJP. I know a local BJP party worker and through him I approached the party asking for a ticket.
But there is no confirmation or denial from the BJP Your candidature is unusually low key.
That's strange because I have received the nomination from the BJP and it's from the Panihati constituency.
Why BJP?
The only party which is strong enough to wrench this crime-steeped party that rules the state -- the TMC -- from its roots and throw it out of Bengal, is the BJP. None of the other Opposition parties, be it the CPI-M or any other party in the state, can do that. That is the main reason I want to fight on behalf of the BJP.
'I want West Bengal to be known as a safe state'
If you are elected as the MLA from Panihati, will your priority be getting justice for your daughter, or will you work for your constituency?
Naturally, getting justice for my daughter is a priority. But equally if not as important is to get justice for those who have suffered like us.
I want West Bengal to be known as a safe state. I want safety for women, for mothers, for daughters.
I don't want people to forget what happened to my daughter and the travesty of justice that we have been forced to bear with for a year-and-a-half.
But at the same time I don't want my name or Bengal to be synonymous with the incident.
When people think of Bengal they must be able to see that it has transformed from being a cesspool of crime and anarchy to that of law and order, where crime gets punishment.
There are also civic issues in my constituency like water-logging. Even an inch of rain and the streets get waterlogged.
Unless you are in power, you cannot do anything for the people. That is why I decided to join politics. I want to make a change.
In the first two months of the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, which has been ruling the state for nine years now, there were 803 incidents of rape and 729 of murder.
Kuldeep Sengar was a BJP legislator and was responsible for the rape of a girl in Unnao and the death of her father in police custody.
Kuldeep Sengar is in jail. He committed a crime, he was punished for it and he is in jail. That's why it will make a difference if the BJP comes to power in this state.
The Trinamool places its hand of protection over the head of perpetrators and thrusts hush money to the victims' families so that they do not have the courage for recourse. People have lost hope of finding justice in this state ... I want to give these victims, their families, the people of this state, a voice.
I have learnt to give voice to oppression and injustice. I have learnt this from my daughter. She used to serve her patients, but I am not a doctor, so the only way I can do that is to be the voice of the oppressed in this state.
We have no personal dreams or aspirations left after my daughter died. Our dreams died with my daughter. So our dream is now the peoples' dream -- a safer Bengal.
The Opposition parties in the state, like the BJP and the CPI-M have repeatedly invoked the incident during their campaigns and have politicised the issue. Do you agree?
Yes, all parties have politicised the issue. There is no doubt about that and I have nothing to say or deny on that matter. But as a mother, I couldn't bear that my daughter's death was being politicised.
So, I thought if by politicising the matter she gets justice and the real culprits including the TMC and its chief, Mamata Banerjee, are wrenched out of this state, why not join politics? As a mother, I have right of way, I believe.
But yes, every party did politicise my daughter's rape and murder.
'CPI-M has no standing in the state'
The CPI-M stood by you during the protests. Why not join the CPI-M?
Look, the whole of Bengal and much of India, stood by us after the incident. Not just the CPI-M. But the CPI-M has no standing in the state and so I joined the party that I believe can win.
You have said in an earlier interview to Rediff that you want to remove the TMC from its roots. Is it realistic this year?
It is a certainty. Not a possibility. I used to tell my daughter there are no words like 'impossible', 'improbable' in our family's dictionary. From an absolutely humble background, my daughter would have become a pulmonary physician; she was doing her MD when she was killed, a seat she secured entirely on merit and hard work.
So, yes, the TMC has been ruling the state since 2021, but before that they were in the Opposition. The BJP is in Opposition now, but that will change this year.
You have never dabbled in politics before. How will you traverse this path?
We have never been to courts before, never spoken to the media before, or gone to police stations, never had to find lawyers or find the path to justice for our daughter. But we have done all that.
Justice still awaits her. Our daughter is our teacher. Her determination, her honesty, her strength to attain her goals, is the path we have followed in trying to secure justice for her.
We have always had a difficult life; my husband is a tailor, I am a housewife, but we have always been a resilient, strong family.
I draw strength from my daughter though she may not be physically present with us, I know she is with us mentally every step of the way. And there is no better teacher than adversity.
'The lotus must and will bloom in Bengal'
The TMC's slogan in 2021 was 'Bahiragatader dao biday (Get rid of the outsiders)'. Don't you think the BJP is an outsider party. The ethos of Bengal has always been assimilation.
If the BJP comes to power don't you think Muslims will be targeted as they are being in the rest of the country?
The TMC's slogan during 2021 was also 'Bangla Nijer Meyekei Chaye (Bengal wants its own daughter)'. The daughter is our honourable CM Mamata Banerjee. Is she what Bengal deserves? A daughter must safeguard another daughter; a woman another woman.
I hold her responsible for the rape and murder of my daughter. The lotus must and will bloom in Bengal.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
