Honour of Bengal's women not for sale, Mamata Banerjee tells BJP
Times of India | 6 May 2024
KOLKATA/LABHPUR: CM Mamata Banerjee on Sunday, referring to the Sandeshkhali sting video, told BJP not to "play with the honour of Bengal's mothers and sisters".
"Can you imagine what they have done in Sandeshkhali? When the PM was here, he was crying so much, as if his heart was breaking for the mothers and sisters of Sandeshkhali. Do you realise how they had framed the entire incident - just by distributing money? I tell BJP, you can get back money, but you can never get back lost honour.I am warning you not to play with the honour of Bengal's mothers and sisters," Banerjee said.
The CM was addressing a rally in Birbhum's Labhpur, campaigning for Bolpur candidate Asit Mal.
BJP, she claimed, had "become frightened and petrified over the Sandeshkhali expose", adding, "That is why they are now out spreading propaganda against us to hide the Sandeshkhali blemishes."
TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who was campaigning for Krishnanagar candidate Mahua Moitra at Kaliaganj on Sunday afternoon, played portions of the clip on a screen on the dais, inviting people's opinion of BJP.
TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, in Kaliaganj on Sunday, played portions of the 33-minute “Sandeshkhali sting video” on a big screen on the dais, inviting people’s opinion of BJP.
“Can you even imagine that a party could stoop so low that they would make women lodge false complaints of rape over payment of a meagre Rs 2,000? Women were forced to sell their dignity for just Rs 2,000,” Abhishek said. Taking the attack anotch higher at the end of a roadshow in Shamshergunj while campaigning for Malda South candidate Shahnawaz Ali Raihan, he said the “Sandeshkhali gas balloon” was punctured and “BJP’s ride” on it had come to an end. “Now they have become “directionless,” he added.
“A BJP functionary himself is heard admitting their Baisrhat candidate, Rekha Patra, had lodged a false rape complaint taking Rs 2,000. Imagine how insensitive and impudent they have become that they don’t have the least regard for women’s dignity,” said Abhishek. “We were saying time and again — the Sandeshkhali incident was a staged conspiracy. Today, Sandeshkhali is saying BJP is a phony party,” he said in the final minutes of the campaign before the constituency goes to polls on Tuesday.
In Kolkata, former party MP Kunal Ghosh told reporters: “This is no less than an act of sedition. There has been a conspiracy against the state, society and state honour. This should not just be within the ambit of political discourse; it should be brought under ambit of law. The police — since law and order is a state subject — should lodge a suo motu case. Gangadhar Kayal should be immediately taken into custody and questioned. We have reasons to suspect that BJP is influencing the probe, intimidating witnesses.”