NEW DELHI: Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, has accused the BJP of orchestrating the Sandeshkhali incident and raised questions about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence regarding allegations of sexual molestation against Governor C V Ananda Bose.
Addressing an election rally in Chakdah, Nadia district, Mamata stated, “The entire Sandeshkhali incident was preplanned by the BJP. The truth has finally come to light, confirming what I have been asserting for a while.”
She further criticized PM Modi for his silence on the sexual harassment accusations against the West Bengal governor, stating, “While PM Modi addressed the Sandeshkhali incident, he conveniently avoided addressing the serious allegations against the Governor, a representative of the Centre.”
The allegations against Governor CV Ananda Bose surfaced after a Raj Bhavan employee accused him of making inappropriate advances and discouraging her from reporting the incidents.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the BJP of conspiring to tarnish West Bengal’s image by releasing a video allegedly showing fabricated evidence and testimonies in the Sandeshkhali case.
In the video, a man claiming to be a BJP mandal president alleged that the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, instructed BJP leaders to incite local women to accuse three TMC leaders, including Shajahan Sheikh, of rape. However, the authenticity of the video remains unverified.
Additionally, the TMC released a post titled ‘Big Expose on Sandeshkhali,’ accusing Adhikari of fabricating a narrative of mass rapes and planting guns in a house in Sandeshkhali to defame Bengal.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee expressed his dismay over the Sandeshkhali sting video, condemning the BJP’s actions as a “gross abuse of power and a matter of shame.”
In response, BJP spokesperson Shankudeb Panda dismissed the allegations, accusing the TMC of insulting women in Sandeshkhali and Bengal. He claimed that the TMC released a doctored video due to its inability to address public anger over the Sandeshkhali incident.
