"No Smoke Without Fire": BJP Hits Back At Trinamool's Sandeshkhali Charge

Hitting back at the Trinamool Congress's charge over fresh twists in the Sandeshkhali row, the BJP has said the ruling party in West Bengal has launched a damage control exercise, but it is "too late".

Speaking to NDTV, BJP spokesperson Priyanka Tibrewal said the Trinamool must understand that there is no use crying over spilt milk. "Whatever they are trying to do is for damage control, but it is too late for that. The sting operation and all, the BJP has challenged their validity. The BJP leader shown in the sting operation has filed a complaint with the CBI, challenging the same," she said.

"Why is Trinamool responding now? Why were they quiet for two-three months. They earlier said the women (of Sandeshkhali) were lying, now they are saying they were made to lie. Whatever damage had to happen has happened. There is no smoke without fire," she added.

In a shock development that has intensified the slugfest between the BJP and the Trinamool, a woman from Sandeshkhali has alleged that people linked with the BJP made her sign a blank paper and then wrote a false rape complaint in her name.

Speaking to the media, the woman said the day a team of National Commission for Women visited the island, a woman named Piyali called them to share their complaints. "I told them that we had not received money as part of the 100 days' job scheme. I only wanted that money and had no other complaint. No rape happened. She (Piyali) made us sign on a blank sheet," she said, adding that she later came to know that she is on the list of women who alleged rape by local Trinamool leaders. 

The woman's daughters-in-law accused Piyali of defaming Sandeshkhali. "She is an outsider, she has come from somewhere else and talks big. We don't know how she has information about everyone here. Initially, she would just take part in the protests here. We later came to know she is with the BJP. She should be punished for lying to us and trapping us. I'm sure more people were deceived like this," they said. The woman and her family said they are now receiving threats for coming out against Piyali.

This comes a week after a video of a local BJP leader, purportedly admitting that no rape took place in Sandeshkhali, started doing the rounds. The video showed Gangadhar Koyal purportedly saying that women were convinced to file such complaints at the directions of BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in Bengal Assembly. The BJP and the leader in the video have claimed that the clip was doctored and his voice edited.

The Trinamool, which was on the backfoot after allegations of land grab, extortion and rape against local party leaders surfaced in Sandeshkhali, has latched on to the sting and now the woman's allegations to target the BJP in the middle of the general election. 

Bengal minister and Trinamool spokesperson Dr Shashi Panja said the BJP excels in concocting and fabricating "lies about sexual atrocities on women". "That was used politically. They were give Rs 500, Rs 1,000, Rs 2000 etc. They did not know what paper they were signing," she said.

Trinamool MP Sushmita Dev alleged that the BJP is threatening the "courageous women of Sandeshkhali for daring to speak out against them".