Saubhadro Chatterji / New Delhi Dec 01, 2009, 01:34 IST
Ousting the CPI(M) is certainly Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s prime passion. But over the years, the struggle against the red force has also brought another subject close to her heart — medical science!
One may argue it takes a lot of effort and studying to become a doctor, but for the Trinamool supremo, “I have spent so much time in hospitals and nursing homes due to the CPI(M) — be it recovering from physical attacks by their goons or after the Singur agitation — that now I feel I have almost become a half-doctor,” Banerjee says jokingly.
So, last week in her chamber in Parliament, the railway minister merrily gave “valuable tips” to colleagues, journalists and others on diet, exercise and even controlling diabetes. It’s a different matter that two qualified doctors —party MP Kakoli Ghoshdastidar and Ratna De Nag — stood in front of her and silently listened to their leader’s “medical science”.
“You should eat more eggs. If the egg is boiled there is no problem of cholesterol,” Banerjee advised one reporter, before noting down the name of a new diabetes medicine from another Trinamool minister, Saugata Ray, to prescribe to others.
Her aides fondly remember how, a few years ago, the caring lady once even gave medicines to her former party MP Dr Ranjit Panja, arguably one of the best skin specialists of Asia. Panja and then Kolkata Mayor Subrata Mukherjee, keen to go back home while Banerjee held a marathon chat, complained of illness to her. Banerjee promptly went inside her bedroom and came back with a few unlabelled tablets and two glasses of water: “Take them. You will be fine by tomorrow morning.” Mukherjee recalls that a hapless Dr Panja could only say, “So, Mamata, you will do even this?”
In her team of 20 MPs in the 15th Lok Sabha, Banerjee has four qualified doctors. Apart from Dastidar and Nag, there is Sucharu Haldar, a retied army doctor and a skin specialist. Even the associated MP of Trinamool, Tarun Mandal, is a doctor. While she loves to talk at length about medical science, Banerjee never forgets to shower compliments on the abilities of her colleagues. “Kakoli is India’s best in ultrasonography. What other doctors will not find, she will easily find in the patient’s body”, Banerjee said as Dastidar smiled.
Another close aide from Kolkata had put up at her Delhi residence a few years ago for almost a fortnight. Banerjee diagnosed that the man is ‘undernourished’ and the prescription: Mutton curry and rice for lunch and dinner! If that was not enough, Banerjee, then just an MP in 14th Lok Sabha, used to wake him up from sleep daily at 3 am and served a plateful of apples and bananas.
'Dr Mamata' gives tips on health Saubhadro Chatterji / New Delhi December 01, 2009, 1:34 IST "Doctorate In Political science"" Doctorate in Law" and more ....Soon Honlady will be addressed as a DR. from some foreign University .Just a joke !!!
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'Dr Mamata' gives tips on health
Saubhadro Chatterji / New Delhi December 01, 2009, 1:34 IST
"Doctorate In Politics"" Doctorate in Law" and more ....Soon Nonlady will be addressed as a DR. from some foreign University .Just a joke !!!
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