BJP files EC complaint against TMC for posting private info of Rekha Patra

TMC is accused of targeting Sandeshkhali victim and BJP candidate Rekha Patra, sharing her private information on social media

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India on Monday, accusing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of making “derogatory remarks” during its election campaign. The BJP highlighted a post on social media by All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) Social Media Incharge Debganshu Bhattacharya and the AITC official handle on X (formerly Twitter).

The post allegedly contained personal details of BJP candidate Rekha Patra from Basirhat and teased her for being a beneficiary of the ‘Swasthya Sarthi’ and ‘Duare Sarkar’ schemes of the state government.

Rekha Patra was one of the victims of the Sandeshkhali violence and is also the BJP’s candidate contesting the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency seat in West Bengal. “This is a clear violation of her right to privacy wherein her personal details including her personal phone number and her bank details were also published,” the BJP said.

The BJP also raised concerns over how the TMC, as the ruling political party in the state, had access to confidential government data of the beneficiaries. They cited this as a violation of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act of 2023 and urged the Election Commission to take stringent action.

“We have serious concern as to how The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) Party, which is the current state ruling political party, has unlawful access to the confidential private data of the beneficiaries that are in exclusive custody of the state government and other associated executory bodies designated by the state health ministry and ministry of family welfare, West Bengal government,” the complaint stated.

The BJP’s complaint called for immediate measures to address the breach of data security, including directing the Chief Secretary of West Bengal to investigate the matter and suspend the AITC official handle on social media platforms for the remainder of the campaigning period. Additionally, they demanded an unconditional apology from the party (TMC) and Debganshu Bhattacharya to Rekha Patra for violating her privacy and subjecting her to harassment.

The BJP also complained about a video on social media showing TMC leader Piyush Panda making “derogatory remarks” and using “casteist slurs” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.