Don't play with self-respect and dignity of Bengal's women, Mamata tells Modi

BONGAON (WB) — West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to play with the self-respect and dignity of women of the state by making "false claims" about atrocities.

Addressing an election meeting at Bongaon, the TMC supremo said Modi should keep in mind that the situation of West Bengal is not like BJP-ruled states.

"Don't play with the self-respect of women, don't hatch conspiracy by playing with the dignity of our mothers and sisters," she said.

The prime minister in his public meetings on Sunday alleged that the TMC was trying to hide its past misdeeds in Sandeshkhali where TMC leaders were accused of sexual assault and land grab.

However, in a recently surfaced purported video, a BJP leader of Sandeshkhali was heard saying that the protests by women were “staged” at the behest of Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, who was behind the “whole conspiracy”.

In another such video, a section of the women, who had earlier filed rape complaints, claimed that they were made to sign a blank paper by the BJP leaders and coerced to go to the police station.

PTI did not verify the authenticity of the videos.

"Don't touch our women, this is not your Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh. Women in Bengal live with respect and dignity," Banerjee said.

The TMC also accused the saffron party of using central forces to intimidate the state's ruling party workers in border districts like North 24 Parganas "so that they don't work against BJP."

Vowing not to allow implementation of CAA and NRC in the state, she said, "Modi ji said yesterday that CAA will be implemented in Bengal. We don't understand that. If someone wants to apply without any conditions, we have no objection.

"Why your minister (Shantanu Thakur) is not applying for CAA then? I challenge you to enforce NRC and Uniform Civil Code here," she said.

Banerjee said the INDIA bloc will win over 300 seats in the Lok Sabha polls.

"The INDIA bloc will come to power in this vote. But here in Bengal, we are fighting BJP alone as Congress and the left are helping the BJP," she claimed.