Home truths spoil Mamata's UK sojourn

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee embarked on a six-day official visit to London from 22 March to 28 March, ostensibly aimed at strengthening ties between West Bengal and the United Kingdom.

- SUPROTIM MUKHERJEE

For the past one month, the Trinamool Congress ecosystem and media outlets beholden to the Chief Minister published gushing reports that she had been invited to deliver a speech at Oxford University. She reached London on 23 March.

The trip, her second to London following a business engagement in November 2017, was packed with a series of high-profile engagements. Banerjee arrived in London on 23 March, ready to immerse herself in a blend of diplomacy, business, and intellectual discourse.

The visit commenced with a notable moment of personal flair as Banerjee, dressed in her signature white saree and slippers, took a morning jog in Hyde Park on 24 March. Dressed in a black cardigan and shawl to combat the chilly London weather, this "warm-up"—as she described it—captured widespread attention.

A video of the Chief Minister and her entourage walking backwards in Hyde Park went viral and sparked a memefest.

Back home, the manufactured euphoria about her Oxford University invite took a beating when Biswanath Goswami, an RTI (Right to Information) activist, raised questions regarding her scheduled address at Oxford University. He wrote to the University of Oxford. Goswami claimed that the university's response indicated there were "no records" of her visit or address, casting doubt on the authenticity of the event.

This revelation was highlighted by Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in West Bengal, who used Goswami's findings to allege that Banerjee's claim of speaking at Oxford University was a lie and aimed at misleading people months before the 2026 Assembly elections.