BJP's Dilip Ghosh makes controversial remarks against Mamata, TMC complains to EC

Mamata Banerjee. File pic.

A controversy erupted on Tuesday after senior BJP leader and MP Dilip Ghosh was heard mocking the family background of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a purported video clip.

The TMC filed a complaint with the Election Commission against Ghosh, alleging that he violated the model code of conduct (MCC). The Trinamool Congress shared the purported video clip in which Ghosh was heard making the remarks and claimed that it reflects the "DNA of the saffron camp".

PTI, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of the video clip.

The former West Bengal BJP president, who is contesting from the Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha seat, mocked TMC's slogan of "Bangla Nijer Meye ke chai (Bengal wants its own daughter)".

"When she goes to Goa, she says she is the daughter of Goa. In Tripura, she says she is the daughter of Tripura. First, let her clarify...," he said. Ghosh, the sitting MP from Medinipur Lok Sabha seat, was referring to the TMC's 2021 poll slogan "Bangla Nijer Meyekei Chai".

In a complaint to the chief electoral officer in West Bengal, the TMC stated that Ghosh, the BJP candidate from Bardhaman-Durgapur, has passed "disgraceful and derogatory remarks" against Mamata Banerjee.

The TMC sought immediate action against Ghosh, claiming a "blatant violation of the MCC" as the poll body has in its guidelines stating that "no political party or candidate should indulge in any activities or make any statements that would amount to attack on personal life of any person".

The ruling party in Bengal, in the complaint, stated, "Ghosh's comments not only cross the boundaries of decency but also perpetuate a culture of misogyny and disrespect towards women in positions of power."

West Bengal Women and Child Development Minister Shashi Panja demanded an apology from Ghosh. "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.

"@DilipGhoshBJP is a disgrace in the name of political leadership! From challenging the lineage of Maa Durga to now questioning the ancestry of Smt. @MamataOfficial, he has wallowed in the filthiest depths of moral bankruptcy," the TMC posted on X.

The party also said, "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 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".

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