'She should first decide who her father is': BJP leader Dilip Ghosh courts controversy over remarks against Mamata Banerjee
PTC Web Desk: A controversy erupted on Tuesday when BJP leader Dilip Ghosh derided the familial background of Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee. In a circulating video purportedly shared on social media and also disseminated by Bengal's ruling party, Dilip Ghosh ridiculed Mamata Banerjee's assertion of being the "daughter of the state," remarking, "She should first decide who her father is."
BJP leader Ghosh's remarks alluded to the Trinamool Congress's slogan during the 2021 Bengal Assembly elections, 'Bangla Nijer Meyekei Chaye' (Bengal wants its own daughter). The disparaging comment elicited a flurry of reactions from various Trinamool Congress leaders, who took to various platforms to condemn Ghosh's misogynistic statements.
The Trinamool Congress promptly lodged a complaint against the BJP leader with the Election Commission regarding his remarks directed at Mamata Banerjee.
"Dilip Ghosh is a disgrace to political leadership. From challenging the lineage of Maa Durga to now questioning the ancestry of Mamata Banerjee, he has plummeted to the lowest depths of moral bankruptcy. One thing is abundantly clear: Ghosh exhibits ZERO RESPECT for the women of Bengal, be it the revered goddess of Hinduism or the sole woman Chief Minister of India," the Trinamool Congress stated on social media.
Kunal Ghosh, spokesperson for the Trinamool Congress, lambasted the BJP leader and highlighted the "misogynistic leadership" within the party's Bengal unit. "Dilip Ghosh's frustration, stemming from being sidelined by his own party, is palpable, evident through his vulgar and base behavior," he remarked on social media.
Trinamool Congress candidate Kirti Azad, who is contesting against Dilip Ghosh in the Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency, also denounced the BJP leader's remarks against the only "female CM of India." "The people of Bengal will not stand for such conduct," he stated on his social media.
It's noteworthy that the sentiment of "insider-outsider dynamics" gained prominence ahead of the 2021 Bengal Assembly elections, with the ruling Trinamool Congress embracing Bengali sub-nationalism as its primary electoral strategy to counter the BJP's Hindutva narrative in the state. Since then, the BJP and the Trinamool Congress have engaged in a war of words centered around the 'insider-outsider' narrative.
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(With inputs from agencies)