Banerjee should behave in mature manner: Katju

Must learn democratic ways of fighting

PTI | April 18, 2012



Against the backdrop of the cartoon controversy, Press Council of India Chairman Justice Markandey Katju today said the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee must learn to function in a democratic and more mature manner as she is no more a street fighter.

"I think Mamata Banerjee should have behaved in a more mature manner. She is no more a street fighter, she is the chief minister...the manner in which she has behaved is totally unacceptable," he told a press conference here.

Responding to a question on the arrest of a professor for posting a cartoon of the Trinamool Congress chief on a social networking website, Katju said Banerjee "must learn to be an administrator...now she is no longer in opposition. She must learn some democratic way of functioning."

He said he is a well-wisher of Banerjee and would like her to do well. "But you must act in a democratic manner which she did not...what's wrong if somebody publishes a cartoon. So many cartoons you people have published about me."

At the same time, he said the West Bengal CM was a person of integrity, which was an important aspect.

To a poser on the West Bengal government's decision to ban certain English dailies and high circulation Bengali newspapers from the state-funded and state-aided libraries, he said he had recently raised the issue with Union Minister Sultan Ahmed (Trinamool Congress) and had told him that Banerjee should not take such decisions.

A professor of chemistry of the Jadavpur University was arrested last week along with his neighbour for allegedly posting a cartoon on a popular social networking site involving Banerjee, Railway Minister Mukul Roy and former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi.

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