West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress on Monday slammed BJP state president Dilip Ghosh for allegedly using “abusive” remarks against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
In a statement, party spokesperson Derek O'Brien said Ghosh's utterances mark a "new low in politics".
Reacting to Ghosh's recent comments that the Trinamool supremo "has lost her mind" after the demonetisation of high-value currency notes and threatened that the central government “could have held her by the hair and thrown her out” when she led a demonstration in Delhi, he alleged that the BJP is "desperate" to silence the opposition.
The TMC said that after failing to fight Banerjee on her stand on demonetisation, the BJP has started spewing "dangerous personal threats to the Bengal CM".
"The BJP cannot fight Mamata Banerjee on policy, good governance and her principled stand on demonetisation on behalf of millions who are affected," the statement released by TMC said.
"BJP is desperate to silence the voice of the opposition. So how low do they stoop? The Bengal BJP president spews deeply dangerous, threatening, abusive and completely false personal statements against her. A new low in politics," it said.
Speaking on the same lines, Trinamool Secretary General Partha Chatterjee said the party is not taking Ghosh's comments lightly.
"The language, which has been used against our respected Chief Minister and party chief, the distasteful comments that were uttered, we are not taking it lightly.
"Actually, they want to raise their standing before (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji by making high-ptiched statements," Chatterjee told the media.
Ghosh, known for shooting off his mouth, has over the past few days made a series of controversial comments about Banerjee, who has emerged as one of the most vocal opponents of demonetisation.
Addressing a rally at Jhargram of West Midnapore district on Saturday, Ghosh said: "The Chief Minister of our state is semi-mad. She doesn't want to remain at home. She wanders on the streets."
On December 2, at a rally in Uluberia of Howrah district, Ghosh had made belligerent remarks about Banerjee going to Delhi and holding a demonstration at Jantar Mantar against demonetisation.
"Our Chief Minister had gone to Delhi. She has made a lot of song and dance there. Tell me, we have our government there. If we had wanted, couldn't we have held her by the hair and thrown her out?"
A day later, speaking at another rally in East Midnapore district's Tamluk, Ghosh said: "She has lost her mind. What will happen if she jumps out of the 14th floor (of Nabanna, which houses Banerjee's office)?"
(With inputs from agencies)
