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West Bengal Ministers Shashi Panja and Chandrima Bhattacharya with Trinamool Mahila Congress leaders and supporters participate in a protest against the remarks made by Union Minister Giriraj Singh on State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in Kolkata, on December 7, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Protests over Union Minister Giriraj Singh’s remarks directed at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee continued to rage in West Bengal for the second consecutive day on Thursday. There were protests in the State Assembly by Trinamool Congress legislators with Ministers of West Bengal government raising the issue soon after the Question Hour in the House.
Minister of Industries, Sashi Panja, said that people are shocked by the Union Minister’s comment on the only woman Chief Minister in the country and has been an MP for several terms.
The Minister said that Trinamool condemned the misogynistic statement made by the Union Minister. The House plunged into chaos as soon as Dr. Panja raised the issue with MLAs of both Trinamool and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party raising slogans against each other.
Protests were organised outside the Parliament by the women MPs of Trinamool who displayed banners demanding an apology from Giriraj Singh and his expulsion. MPs of Trinamool Mahua Moitra, Mala Roy, Mausam Noor, Satabdi Roy, and Aparupa Poddar participated in the protest outside the Parliament.
Trinamool seeks NCW’s intervention
The Trinamool leadership also sought the intervention of the National Commission for Women demanding ‘strict punishment’ against the Union Minister. “@NCWIndia must take strict action against these BJP leaders propagating a culture of misogyny. Chairperson @sharmarekha must break her silence & condemn these shameful remarks insulting a mass leader known to the entire world as ‘Didi,’” Trinamool Congress tweeted from its official handle.
The West Bengal’s ruling party also added that, “Since @BJP4India seems to be distancing itself from @girirajsinghbjp’s outrageous remarks against India’s only woman CM @MamataOfficial, he is now left with no other choice but to resort to more lies to cover up the truth. But the truth is for all to see. The people will not tolerate any more attacks on Nari Shakti.”
Speaking to a television channel Mr. Singh on Wednesday targeted the Trinamool Congress chairperson and said that when the people in her State was suffering, she was busy shaking a leg with Bollywood actors at the inauguration of 29th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF). The Union Minister said that West Bengal Chief Minister was “having a party (jashna manana)” and “gyrating her hips (thumka lagana)” when allegations of corruption against her government have resulted in stoppage of funds to key schemes.
In the West Bengal Assembly, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari tried to defend the allegations against the Union Minister by saying that Mr. Singh did not make a personal comment and the remarks were directed at the Chief Minister.
“West Bengal is bearing the brunt of rampant corruption during the tenure of CM Banerjee. Instead of focusing on real issues such as corruption, they [Trinamool] are focusing on [Giriraj Singh’s] comments which aren’t personal at all,” Mr. Adhikari told journalists in the State Assembly
Protests were organised in Kolkata’s Hazra Crossing when Ministers Sashi Panja and Chandrima Bhattacharya wore black badges and shook a leg with other Trinamool Congress supporters. Chief Minister Mamata Banrerjee who is visiting north Bengal picked tea leaves with other women at a tea garden in Makaibari. She also shook a leg with artists in north Bengal.
