West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh, known for his outrageous comments, made yet another controversial one on Thursday by saying that a lone woman protester at a pro-CAA rally in the city who was heckled by the party’s cadres should “thank her stars that nothing else was done to her.”
Drawing all-round criticism from opposition parties over his most recent remarks, the pro-CAA rally from Patuli to Bagha Jatin area in southern fringes of the city was led by Ghosh.
A lone woman protester was seen carrying an anti-CAA poster and decrying the shooting outside Jamia Millia Islamia University during the rally.
The woman protester was heckeled by the BJP supporters who snatched the poster from her and verbally abused her. She was rescued by the police posted in the area.
While speaking to media, Ghosh justified the heckling of the woman saying, “Our men did the right thing. She should thank her stars that she was only heckled and nothing else was done to her.”
“Why do they (protesters against the CAA) always come to our rallies to protest? They can go to other events. We have tolerated a lot but now we won’t tolerate such nuisance,” he added.
The woman protester in her mid twenties remained unfazed by the incident and said she will continue to protest against the “fascist BJP”.
Senior Congress leader Manoj Chakraborty said Mr Ghosh should “publicly apologise” for his statements.
Senior CPI(M) leader Shamik Lahiri condemned Ghosh’s statement and asked him to refrain from making such comments.
“His comments reflect both his and his party’s sadistic and perverted mindset,” Lahiri said.
Bengal BJP president Ghosh had stirred up a storm earlier this month by saying “anti-CAA protesters who destroyed public property were shot like dogs in BJP-ruled states”.
He had also termed eminent personalities opposing the CAA and the proposed nationwide NRC as “parasites,” earlier.
“Some creatures called intellectuals have come out on the streets of Kolkata. These parasitic intellectuals, who live and enjoy out of other’s pockets, where were they when our predecessors were tortured in Bangladesh?”, said Ghosh.
Dilip Ghosh came down heavily on these artists and had described them as “creatures”, “devils” and “parasites”.
The passing of the controversial Citizenship Bill has triggered countrywide protests and since it becoming law, citizens especially students have taken to the streets in protest against the legislation.
According to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, till December 31, 2014, facing religious persecution there, will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.