Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Friday triggered a controversy after he apparently made a mockery of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's injury.
Ms Banerjee on Thursday evening suffered a gash on her forehead and had to be admitted to a hospital for a few hours, the Trinamool Congress said.
After being administered stitches and undergoing medical tests at the hospital, the TMC chief was deemed stable and discharged, subsequently returning home.
While addressing a rally in West Bengal's Khejuri, Mr Adhikari without naming anyone said, "TMC's pressure has gone down and it is falling. The fall of the TMC has just begun from the top, it will percolate to the grassroots levels." His remarks drew sharp condemnation from the ruling TMC, which said the remarks reflect the anti-women mindset of the BJP.
"Such remarks against the only woman chief minister of the country reflect the anti-women mindset of the BJP. We condemn such remarks and demand an apology," West Bengal Women and Child Development Minister Shashi Panja said.
West Bengal Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said the verbal attack against Banerjee reflects the misogynist mindset of the BJP.
"Attacking the only female CM is not just despicable, it's a display of contemptible misogyny. Smt. @Chandrimaaitc vehemently condemned @SuvenduWB 's shameful assault on Smt. @MamataOfficial , while she's receiving treatment. His words reeks of desperation and an utter lack of basic human decency. He must issue a sincere APOLOGY NOW," she posted on X.
The BJP on Friday demanded a thorough probe into claims that Ms Banerjee had a fall at her residence "due to some push from behind" leading to injuries, drawing a sharp retort from the ruling TMC which asked the saffron camp not to politicise the matter.
A day after stating that Ms Banerjee had a fall at her Kalighat residence "due to some push from behind" leading to injuries on her forehead and nose, state-run SSKM Hospital director Manimoy Bandyopadhyay on Friday clarified that all he meant was that the CM may have felt "a sensation of push".
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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