Day After PM's Charge, Mamata Banerjee Marches With Sandeshkhali Women

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi fired barbs at the Trinamool Congress over the raging Sandeshkhali issue, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today led a rally of women supporters in Kolkata.

Incidentally, some women from Sandeshkhali island in North 24 Parganas district, which has made headlines for the serious allegations against local Trinamool leaders, also took part in the rally. The theme of the rally is Mahilader Adhikar, Amader Angikar (women's rights, our commitment). The rally is in signature Mamata Banerjee style - a foot march with her at the front. Among the prominent women Trinamool leaders to join her are Sushmita Dev, Shashi Panja and the party's newly-elected Rajya Sabha MP and journalist Sagarika Ghose. Ms Banerjee's nephew and the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also joined the march. 

Addressing the rally, Ms Banerjee said, "Yesterday, BJP leaders said women are tortured in Bengal. I can challenge that women are the safest in Bengal."

Targeting the BJP, he said, "Where were you when women were paraded naked in Manipur, when a woman was raped and her body forcibly cremated in Hathras? Have you forgotten Bilkis (Bano)?"

Ms Banerjee also responded to former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijt Gangopadhyay joining the BJP. "A BJP babu was sitting on the bench and he joined BJP. How can you expect justice from them?"

Every year, Ms Banerjee leads a march of women to mark the International Women's Day on March 8. But this time, the rally is being held on March 7. It is learnt that the reason behind the date change is Shiv Ratri, which will be celebrated tomorrow.

Women voters form a key support base for the Trinamool Congress. Over the 13 years that the party has stayed in power, Ms Banerjee has consolidated this support base through schemes such as Kanyashri, Rupashree and Lakshmir Bhandar. But the Sandeshkhali episode and BJP's aggressive campaign threatens to divide this voter base, and the Trinamool is taking no chances.

In his remarks at the BJP's Mahila Morcha event in Barasat yesterday, Prime Minister Modi described the Trinamool government as "anti-women". He also said women in Bengal are outraged and the "storm of Sandeshkhali" won't remain restricted to Sandeshkhali and spread across Bengal.

He also alleged that the Bengal government is using all its might to protect Sandeshkhali strongman Sheikh Shahjahan, who is now in the CBI's custody. Sandeshkhali residents have accused Shahjahan and his aides of land grab, extortion and sexual harassment.

After the allegations surfaced and the BJP raised a political storm, Ms Banerjee had, in a speech in the Assembly on February 15, hit back and accused Enforcement Directorate (ED) of targeting Shahjahan. But as the issue garnered national attention, the Trinamool changed tack and arrested the strongman. He was also expelled from the party for six years. The Trinamool then tried to turn the tables on the BJP, daring it to act against leaders who face serious charges.

In the Trinamool's response to the Prime Minister's remarks yesterday, party leader Derek O'Brien said,

"Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lectured on Nari Shakti. Three questions to you, Sir - Why are there 51 cases of crimes against women every hour? Why does BJP have 13 per cent women in Lok Sabha, why only 14 per cent women in 195 candidate list? Why no action against BJP MP charged with sexually harassing wrestlers?" The Trinamool leader was referring to BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who had to step down as the national wrestling federation chief in the wake of sexual harassment allegations.

The Trinamool's move to get a group of Sandeshkhali women in today's march is to counter the Prime Minister's meeting with some women from the island after his public address yesterday. BJP leaders have said the Prime Minister had heard the women "patiently, like a father figure, as they narrated their ordeal".