The Trinamul Congress today lashed out at the BJP for hatching a story of alleged rape in Sandeshkhali just to get political mileage. Addressing the media in New Delhi this afternoon, Dr Shashi Panja, state minister for Women and Child Development and Social Wlfare said “It is unthinkable to what extent the BJP can go to make political gain.”

On Saturday Mr Abhishek Banerjee, national general secretary of Trinamul Congress, disclosed a 33-minute video, the product of a sting operation, where the BJP mandal president in Sandeshkhali was heard to explain how the whole plan was hatched. Commenting on the matter, Dr Panja said: “It is most unfortunate that some male BJP leaders had tutored the women how to tell lies. The BJP was trying to create communal disharmony in Sandeshkhali while trying to project the law and order situation as poor so that Predident’s rule is clamped in Bengal. Can anyone lower himself to this extent just to make political gain? The Prime Minister has spoken about Sandeshkhali and the whole nation is talking about this when no such incident had actually taken place. This shows that the saffron party had least respect for women,” she said.

Mrs Sagarika Ghosh, Trinamul Rajya Sabha MPsaid: “By this act the BJP has lowered the prestige of Bengal and maligned the state.” She added: “The BJP has never taken steps against the alleged rapists and those involved in molestation. When allegation of abuse was made against (BJP MP) Brij Bhushan by the wrestlers, BJP did not take any action and recently his son was given the ticket for Lok Sabha polls. A party that has least respect for women can do this,” she remarked. Mr Saket Gokhale, TMC Rajya Sabha MP, said after getting a thrashing in the 2021 Assembly election, the BJP has gone all out to malign Bengal. ” They have stopped all the dues of the state and is now planning to malign Bengal before the entire country. We are not afraid of BJP and are ready to fight them faceto-face but BJP is scared and is using all sorts of heinous means to defame Bengal. The people of Bengal have realised their game plan and will give a befitting reply,” he said.