On Harassment Claims, Mamata Banerjee's Sandeshkhali Jibe At PM, Governor

Bringing up the Sandeshkhali issue, which was used by the BJP to rake her party over the coals, Mamata Banerjee has hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that while he had a lot to say at the time, he has kept quiet over the sexual harassment charges levelled against West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose despite being in the state when the allegations were made. 

The Trinamool Congress chief also asked Mr Bose - who had made a series of statements against the government over the alleged sexual harassment of women by a Trinamool leader and his aides in Sandeshkhali - how he could talk about the dignity of women when he has been accused of doing the same thing at his official residence.  

The governor has denied the allegations, calling them "engineered narratives", and said he expects more such charges to be levelled at him. 

Addressing a rally in Bardhaman on Friday, Ms Banerjee said in Bengali, "He (PM Modi) has given so many messages ('sandesh') on Sandeshkhali. I did not let any untoward incident happen there. There was an issue around land but we solved it by sending officers to the village. But what are you doing? Yesterday, a young woman working at the Raj Bhavan came out and spoke out against the governor's harassment."

"Even yesterday, he (the governor) asked why my minister spoke against him. I have heard of thousands of such incidents but I did not bring them up. But yesterday, the tears of the woman broke my heart. The governor spoke about Sandeshkhali but why did he do this to someone working for him? He molested her not once, but twice," she asked.

Stating that she had seen the video of the woman's testimony, the chief minister asked why the Prime Minister, who is in Bengal and had stayed at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday night, had not said anything. 

"Your people were also there when she left crying and said she was scared of working at the Raj Bhavan. She said he was called at odd hours and was subjected to harassment. And these are the people who talk about the dignity of our mothers and sisters," she alleged. 

The temporary employee of the Raj Bhavan filed a complaint against the Governor on Thursday, accusing him of outraging her modesty, and West Bengal Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya was among the first to react to the allegation. 

"I wonder what is happening in the Raj Bhavan, and that too on a day when the Prime Minister is coming to the state," the minister had said on Thursday. 

'Won't Be Cowed Down'

Mr Bose has denied the allegations. "Truth shall triumph. I refuse to be cowed down by engineered narratives. If anybody wants some election benefits by maligning me, God Bless them. But they cannot stop my fight against corruption and violence in Bengal," he said on Thursday.

Reacting again on Friday, he said, "I welcome all the generous allegations and the frequent innuendoes aimed at me by some political forces. I understand, my friends, there is more in the offing. But one thing is clear, none of these absurd dramas is going to deter me from my determined efforts to expose corruption and curb violence... A more sinister plot has been hatched in the Raj Bhavan".

The Governor has also blocked the entry of the police and Ms Bhattacharya into the Raj Bhavan premises in Kolkata, Darjeeling, and Barrackpore.

Senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, said, "I support the statement that has come from Raj Bhavan. It is a heinous conspiracy by Mamata Banerjee."