BJP Turns Sandeshkhali Incident into National Issue, Smriti Irani Speaks Out
Communal Overtones Emerge as BJP Raises Concerns Ahead of Lok Sabha Polls
In order to elevate Sandeshkhali to a national issue before to the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP sent Smriti Irani, the Union minister for women and child development, to Delhi on Monday.
Irani presented her version of the alleged sexual assault of women by Trinamul leaders Shahjahan Sheikh, Shibaprasad Hazra, and Uttam Sardar in Bengali before translating it into Hindi and English. Her account was rife with sectarian connotations.
Married women are purposefully being targeted. The situation is too terrible to put into words," she said as she read aloud a version of a "victim" who had allegedly told a local reporter about her experiences.
In response to the Union minister's statements at a press conference, the Mamata Banerjee government sent deputy inspector-general Sumit Kumar, Barasat range. Four complaints had been filed with the Sandeshkhali police, Kumar informed the journalists, "but none of rape."
On the other hand, he warned that if a formal complaint was received, legal action would be done. He also said that an all-female police team will visit Sandeshkhali to meet with women, as advised by the state government.
Irani was occupying Delhi, but earlier in the day, BJP lawmakers headed by Suvendu Adhikari brought up the Sandeshkhali matter in the Bengal Assembly, setting the stage for Irani's press conference.
BJP MLAs sought a reply from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as they entered the House sporting T-shirts that said, "Sandeshkhali sathey achhi (we are with Sandeshkhali)".
Adhikari and five other BJP MLAs were suspended by Speaker Biman Banerjee for the duration of the budget session due to their "unruly" behavior. Banerjee called the suspensions "a badge of honor."
Before departing for Sandeshkhali with a bus full of BJP MLAs, Adhikari said, "I will speak about women tortured by Trinamul goons." However, the police halted them 60 kilometers from their destination.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
After arriving in Calcutta from Kerala, Governor C.V. Ananda Bose hurried from the airport to Sandeshkhali.
