BJP vs TMC: The Trinamool Congress has filed a complaint with the Election Commission against senior BJP leader and MP Dilip Ghosh for allegedly making controversial remarks against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Ghosh was heard mocking the family background of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a purported video clip.
The Trinamool Congress said that Ghosh has violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by making personal remarks.
Watch what Dilip Ghosh said on Mamata Banerjee
"When Didi goes to Goa she becomes Goa's daughter, in Tripura she says I am Tripura's daughter, decide who is your father, this is not right (Didi give Goa to bole ami Goa r mey, Tripura to ami Tripura r mey, baap to thik korun, jar tar mey howa thik noy.)," the 59-year-old BJP leader said.
https://twitter.com/MdHafiz59473117/status/1772592196799139909
The former West Bengal BJP president, who is currently contesting from the Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha seat, mocked the TMC's slogan of "Bangla Nijer Meye ke chai (Bengal wants its own daughter)".
TMC demands apology
The TMC responded to the remarks made by the BJP MP by stating that they reflect the "DNA of the saffron camp". The party shared a purported video clip in which Ghosh was heard making the remarks.
"Dilip Ghosh is a disgrace in the name of political leadership. From challenging the lineage of Maa Durga to now questioning the ancestry of Mamata Banerjee. He has wallowed in the filthiest depths of moral bankruptcy. One thing is crystal clear: Ghosh has ZERO RESPECT for the women of Bengal, whether it be the revered goddess of Hinduism or the only woman Chief Minister of India," the ruling party wrote on X.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh jabbed the BJP leader and called out the "misogynistic leadership" of the party's unit in Bengal. "Dilip Ghosh's frustration from being sidelined by his own party is very apparent and his insecurity is shown through his uncouth and lowly behaviour," he wrote on X.
Trinamool Congress candidate Kirti Azad, Dilip Ghosh's opponent in Bardhaman-Durgapur seat, also condemned the remarks of the BJP leader against the sole "female CM of India". "The people of Bengal shall not tolerate such behaviour," he said on X.
West Bengal Women and Child Development Minister Shashi Panja demanded an apology from Ghosh and said the comments reflect the "DNA of the saffron camp". "He should immediately tender his apology. The comments reflect the DNA of the saffron camp, which smacks of the misogynistic mindset of the BJP. The EC must take note of it," she said.
The TMC had fanned the 'Bengali pride' by coming up with a poll slogan, "Bangla Nijer Meyekei Chai" and has created a poll narrative of sub-nationalism to counter BJP's identity politics in the 2021 assembly polls.
The "insider-outsider" debate in West Bengal gained strength before the assembly polls with the ruling TMC embracing Bengali sub-nationalism as its main poll plank to counter the rise of the BJP's Hindutva narrative in the state and has branded it as a "party of outsiders".
(With PTI inputs)
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