Kolkata: Seeking an apology from the BJP, the ruling TMC in West Bengal said that the "obscene comments" made by the opposition party's state president Sukanta Majumdar against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee showed its "chauvinistic mindset".
The TMC's reaction was triggered by Majumdar's use of the term 'dhanda' about Banerjee during a recent interaction with the press. "The chief minister claims that she does not take the CM's salary and her pension as an MP. Then where does money for her iPhone and her designer saris come from? And nowadays, if someone gives something for free, he will not give it without his 'dhanda' (interest)," Majumdar, also an MP, had said.
Condemning the remarks, the TMC on Thursday sought an apology from him, emphasising that such language was unbecoming of an elected representative. State minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said, "It is the culture of the BJP leadership to insult women, and this incident has exposed their anti-women mindset. How could he use a word such as 'dhanda' while talking about the CM?
"He doesn't know the history of Mamata Banerjee's struggle as he is a political newbie. As a woman of Bengal and a member of TMC, I strongly condemn his comment. We will hit the streets to protest against this behaviour."
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh attributed Majumdar's comment to the "cheap mindset" of the BJP. "The CM talks about her lifestyle in clear words. She doesn't take benefits like salary, pension, and other perks of being a former MP or serving CM. The royalty she gets from her books is enough for her. Words such as 'dhanda' can only be used by the BJP as they know how to disrespect women," he said.
State BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya, however, said that the TMC was trying to make an issue out of a "non-issue".
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