Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday criticised the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal for its handling of the Sandeshkhali issue.
PM Modi accused the party of crossing all limits by protecting its leader, Sheikh Shahjahan, who was arrested on Thursday on charges related to a sexual assault and land-grabbing case.
Addressing a public rally in Arambagh at West Bengal’s Hooghly district, Prime Minister Modi said, “The country is seeing what TMC has done with the sisters of Sandeshkhali. The whole country is enraged. The soul of Raja Ram Mohan Roy (social reformer) must have been pained by what happened in Sandeshkhali. A TMC leader crossed all limits…The BJP leaders in the state fought for the respect and dignity of the women here. Yesterday, the police had to arrest him (TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan).”
“Sandeshkhali incidents are a matter of shame. For nearly two months, the prime accused was not arrested,” Modi said, questioning whether actions by TMC could be forgiven. Additionally, he said that the party has ‘left no realm untouched by corruption and malpractice.’
ATTACK ON INDIA BLOC
The Prime Minister also slammed the leaders of the INDIA alliance, questioning their silence on the Sandeshkhali issue and stating that its leaders are acting like ‘Gandhi’s three monkeys’.
“Har chot ka jawab vote se dena hai’. Today, the people of West Bengal are asking their CM ‘Didi’- is the vote of some people more important than atrocities against women in Sandeshkhali?…All the tall leaders of INDIA alliance were silent on the Sandeshkhali incident. INDIA alliance leaders were like the three monkeys of Gandhiji…Congress chief said- ‘Arey chhoddo, Bengal mein toh yeh sab chalta rheta hai’…,” PM stated.
Modi’s remarks follow the arrest of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh on Thursday morning after evading authorities for 55 days. According to the West Bengal police, Sheikh was apprehended from a residence in Minakhan, approximately 30 km away from the island of Sandeshkhali on the outskirts of Sunderbans, in the North 24 Parganas district. Hours after his arrest, the Trinamool Congress also suspended Sheikh from the party for six years.
Before the TMC leader gained notoriety in the Sandeshkhali allegations, his supporters had clashed with personnel from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) during an attempted raid on his residence in connection with the ration scam.
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