"People Scared To Talk": Mahua Moitra's Royal Rival Cites Law And Order

Amrita Roy, the erstwhile royal from Bengal's Krishnagar who will take on Trinamool Congress's Mahua Moitra in the coming Lok Sabha election, told NDTV today that given the law and order situation in the state, she thought as a woman, she has a role to play.

Citing the recent allegations of land grab and sexual harassment emanating from Sandeshkhali against Trinamool Congress strongman Sheikh Shahjahan, she told NDTV in an exclusive interview that such events happen every other day.

"Some things are coming out. Other things are being kept under wraps... So I feel that I have a big role to play... this cannot go on," she told NDTV.

"People are scared to come out or talk... in case they get a bad name. They are being deprived of their fundamental rights," she added.

The idea of her contesting, though, came from the BJP, which had approached her, she told NDTV. She said though she had been apolitical all her life, she had accepted "since it was a good platform".

The BJP, which is hoping to win at least 25 of the state's 42 seats, is focusing on woman power in this this election. With Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress said to be backed by the state's women, the party is hoping its women candidates would help it expand its footprint in the state.

Ms Roy is facing Mahua Moitra, Krishnanagar's sitting MP from Trinamool till she was disqualified by a Parliamentary Ethics Committee over the alleged cash-for-questions controversy earlier this year.

In a huge show of support for Ms Moitra, Trinamool fielded her from Krishnanagar again, expressing confidence that she would be re-elected.

Asked about senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh's remarks about Mamata Banerjee -- over which he has received a showcause notice from the Election Commission --  Ms Roy said,  "In politics, many things can be misinterpreted. You should be a little cautious," she said.

"Didi goes to Goa and says, 'I am Goa's daughter'... goes to Tripura and says, 'Am Tripura's daughter'. Decide who your father is. It is not good to be just anybody's daughter," Dilip Ghosh had said – a  comment that has been slammed even by his own party.