‘Patriarchal barbarism’: TMC on BJP neta’s ‘lock up wives’ remark
Times of India | 5 January 2026
Daspur/Kolkata: Men in Bengal should put their wives — beneficiaries of Lakshmir Bhandar scheme — under lock and key to stop them from voting for Trinamool. This was Bengal BJP state committee member Kalipada Sengupta's call from a public rally in West Midnapore's Dantan on Saturday, prompting Trinamool to hit back against the remark. BJP, on the other hand, distanced itself from the statement. Sengupta himself, however, was unapologetic on Sunday.
"There are mothers who took benefits from Lakshmir Bhandar and will vote for Trinamool. I urge husbands of those mothers to put them under lock and key. The votes should be cast for BJP, not Trinamool," said Sengupta. Junior Union minister Sukanta Majumdar spoke at the rally at Kalaikundu village right after Daspur neta Sengupta's appeal.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee took to X, accusing BJP of deploying what he called a "Bangla-Birodhi toolkit", alleging that after attempts to delete voters' names during the SIR failed, the party "sank to feudal and patriarchal barbarism by urging husbands to lock up their wives at home, so women empowered by Lakshmir Bhandar can't step out to vote".
Banerjee said BJP had threatened to scrap Lakshmir Bhandar if it came to office, mocked Bengali Hindus for allegedly "selling themselves" for Rs 500, and described direct aid to women as "alms". "And now, they openly threaten women's hard-won suffrage because their votes endanger BJP's pathetic electoral chances?" his post said, adding that in 2026, women would "march to polling booths in millions and bury your (BJP's) regressive, Bangla-Birodhi, Nari-Birodhi politics forever."
In a press conference, Bengal women and child development minister Shashi Panja said this was not the first time BJP had mocked Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiaries. "BJP netas had called them beggars. Women decided to reply through their votes. Now, they want to stop them from going to the polling booths. It is clear that BJP is afraid. Otherwise, Sukanta Majumdar, who spoke after Sengupta, should have corrected him," Panja said.
"This is the reality of the party which delivers lectures on status of women in Bengal. Women are the driving force of society as well as the economy in Bengal. They will not accept this behaviour in silence," said state finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.
Clarifying BJP's position on the state scheme, Majumdar said, "If BJP comes to office, Lakshmir Bhandar will continue. The name may change... But we will give more money than what TMC is offering." He added that BJP would also create job opportunities for husbands of Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiaries.
Reacting to Sengupta's comments, BJP Ghatal organisation district president Tanmay Das said: "We don't support his statement. We are working towards the welfare of women. The party wants to empower them."
A defiant Sengupta on Sunday attempted to justify his remarks, saying women should consider the unemployment faced by their sons and husbands before voting. "There are no jobs in the state. Women get Lakshmir Bhandar and vote for TMC, while their sons and husbands are forced to migrate to other states for work," he said.