 "Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sushmita Dev (Photo: ANI)")
Sushmita Dev, a leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), called out Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Dilip Ghosh for holding double standards for recent remarks against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while speaking with the news agency ANI. She stated that the party was resorting to such remarks against the only woman chief minister in India due to frustration as they were losing in West Bengal.
The TMC leader said, "Dilip Ghosh is frustrated. The kind of statements that he has made against Mamata Banerjee—that she should first give an identity of her father—have never before been heard against a woman in this country."
#WATCH | On BJP MP Dilip Ghosh's "...should identify her own father" remark on West Bengal CM and TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee, TMC leader Sushmita Dev says, "...Dilip Ghosh is frustrated. The kind of statements that he has made against Mamata Banerjee - that she should first… pic.twitter.com/TOianK94Ya
— ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2024
Dev labelled Ghosh's comments as unprecedented and reflective of frustration, highlighting the need for political decorum. She added that Dev's remarks reflected the party's double standards between its members and Opposition women leaders.
Also Read
"For the past two days, the BJP leaders have been giving long speeches against the insult of one of their women candidates. But the kind of statements the BJP is issuing against the only woman chief minister of this country is against the politics and traditions of this country. The BJP is frustrated in Bengal. It is losing," Dev stated.
Dev's remarks came in response to Ghosh's statement, where he questioned Banerjee's identification of herself with various states during her visits.
Speaking to reporters, Ghosh said, "When Didi (CM Mamata Banerjee) goes to Goa, she calls herself the daughter of Goa. When she goes to Tripura, she says that she is the daughter of Tripura. She should first identify her own father."
#WATCH | Durgapur, West Bengal | BJP MP Dilip Ghosh says, "...When Didi (CM Mamata Banerjee) goes to Goa, she calls herself daughter of Goa. When she goes to Tripura, she says that she is the daughter of Tripura. She should first identify her own father..." pic.twitter.com/rGMDKjQd1T
— ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2024
Dev went on to criticise the silence of BJP leaders and the National Commission for Women (NCW) when Banerjee faced insults from their party members. She said, "I would like to tell the BJP leaders and NCW chief - you are so concerned about the woman candidate of the BJP but people like you should be ashamed that whenever Mamata Didi is insulted by the BJP, you stay silent. This is your hypocrisy. The country would give you a reply for the same."
"The more the BJP insults Mamata Banerjee, the more people will be with her. I would like to tell Dilip Ghosh that we know where this filthy thinking of yours against women comes from. This is RSS' thinking - that which is against women... The respect that the people of Bengal give Mamata Didi, she is considered the daughter of the country. You are insulting her again and again, and you will get a befitting reply to this in 2024," Dev stated.
The exchange between TMC and BJP leaders comes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, scheduled to be held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1. West Bengal has 42 Lok Sabha seats.
West Bengal, along with Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, are the only states where the 2024 general election will be held in all seven phases.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal witnessed fierce competition between the TMC and BJP, with the TMC securing 22 seats, the BJP winning 18, and the remaining two seats going to the Congress.
