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

Bongaon/Barrackpore, May 13: 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. The BJP leader who was seen in the first video was also heard saying in a third clip that over 70 women had received Rs 2,000 each for taking part in protests against local TMC leaders.
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.
“One cannot imagine BJP can stoop so low by offering Rs 2000 to a woman for making false charges of sexual misconduct. They (BJP) maligned the women of Bengal,” she said.
However, if there is any stray case, any incident “we immediately take corrective action and take action,” she added. Banerjee 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.” (PTI)