In the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s criticism of the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal last week Saturday for allegedly likening Scheduled Caste community to beggars, BJP on Monday sought to mount further pressure on TMC, as a delegation of party leaders met Election Commission official here and demanded strong action against TMC.

At a rally in Siliguri in West Bengal on Saturday last week, Prime Minister Modi had charged the TMC with ‘insulting’ the SC community. He also said that thinking of ‘Didi’ and TMC was coming out in the open. He referred to a viral video in which, he alleged, a leader close to Didi was seen insulting members of the SC community saying the SC community in Bengal acts like beggars.

The BJP delegation to the Election Commission on Monday was headed by Union Minister and senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. The delegation comprised of BJP leaders including Dushyant Gautam, Hans Raj Hans, Sunita Duggal, Bhola Singh, and Om Pathak.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi referred to a female Trinamul Congress leader who allegedly violated the model code of conduct and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 by commenting on the SC community. He demanded strong action against the party and its leader.

“We met the Election Commission about an important and serious issue which is Trinamul Congress’ thinking regarding marginalized communities in India. The nation is aware how the TMC has been indulging in political exploitation of marginalized communities,” Naqvi said.

Referring to the particular incident which prompted the BJP to meet the EC, it was also mentioned by PM Modi during his address to a public rally in Siliguri on Saturday last week, Naqvi said, “One clear example of this (alleged exploitation of marginalized communities by TMC) is when one of the TMC leaders in her statement said some people beg because they are deprived of things and some people beg because it is in their nature. She said for a small amount of money, the people of the SC community in West Bengal were sold to BJP. She called our Dalit brothers beggars.”

Naqvi further accused the TMC leader of abusing ‘the self-respect of Dalit community’ terming it a ‘criminal offence’. He also called it a violation of the model code of conduct and Representation of the People Act, 1951. “This shows the thinking of not just the leader but also the party. We have urged for strong action against the leader and the party,” he said.