BJP’s Agnimitra Paul lashes out at the Mamata government saying, “The entire Bengal is Sandeshkhali now”

GG News Bureau

West Bengal, 18th Feb. Legislator Agnimitra Paul blasted Mamata Banerjee, the leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and the chief minister of West Bengal for not acting against the party leaders who were allegedly sexually harassing and forcibly grabbing the lands of the Sandeshkhali women. She claimed that under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership, the entire state was becoming Sandeshkhali, a hotbed of unrest.

“Despite being a woman chief minister, Mamata Banerjee stood by the absconding accused, Sheikh Shahjahan,” said the fashion designer-turned-politician during a speech on the second day of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s National Council Meet in Delhi. She added that the chief minister of Bengal was assisting the Rohingyas in resettling in India.

Paul’s comments were made the day after Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh denounced the violence in Sandeshkhali during his speech on Saturday at the first day of the BJP National Convention.

“I want to congratulate everyone on Sandeshkhali’s accomplishments, including the bravery with which our workers are resisting tyranny and oppression. Such things, in my opinion, are a disgrace to civilized society. This needs to be strongly denounced,” he declared.

#WATCH | Sandeshkhali incident | BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul says, " We won't say that we are extremely happy but yes, Mamata Banerjee's Police has acknowledged. Sandeshkhali is not just in Sandeshkhali, it is all across Bengal…all under the supervision and guidance of Mamata… pic.twitter.com/UvlNlEROHL

— ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2024

Women in Sandeshkhali, a small village in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, have been staging protests for more than a week, accusing TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his allies of torturing them. Prohibition orders issued under Section 144 of the CrPC will remain in effect in the area for at least one more day, according to top police officials.

TMC leader Shibu Prasad Hazra, the primary suspect in the Sandeshkhali violence, was taken into custody on Saturday. From the Najat neighborhood of Basirhat, West Bengal, he was taken into custody. TMC block president Hazra had not been seen or heard from since women in Sandeshkhali accused him and another party member of rape and sexual harassment.