Kolkata, Aug 14 : The brutal rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last week seems to have widened the 'rift' between two key allies of the opposition INDIA bloc -- Congress and Trinamool Congress.

Soon after leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday issued a strongly-worded statement accusing the state administration and the hospital authorities of trying to save the accused, Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh hit back at the senior Congress leader.

'The attempt to save the accused instead of providing justice to the victim raises serious questions on the hospital and the local administration,' Rahul Gandhi's statement read.

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi's reamrks equating the R.G. Kar incident with similar cases reported earlier from Hathras, Unnao, and Kathua, Ghosh said that since Congress has not been in power at the Centre for a long time, and has out of power in West Bengal since 1977, Rahul Gandhi does not hesitate to make such "irresponsible" statements.

'In Hathras and Unnao, the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh government did not take any step. Rather, the relatives of the victims were murdered. But in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken all necessary steps. She has demanded death penalty for the culprit. Our senior leader Abhishek Banerjee has sought an encounter,' Ghosh said.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on Wednesday issued a video message claiming that the state government will have to take responsibility for the law and order situation in Bengal.

'Campus violence should stop immediately. The state government will have to take the responsibility. Everyone will have to get united for the sake of women's safety,' the Governor said.

The rape and murder of the junior doctor at the state-run hospital has triggered nation-wide outrage. Taking serious note of the incident, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday handed over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

/IANS