The BJP and the leader shown in the video have said his voice was edited.
The Sandeshkhali issue, which is one of the biggest talking points in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls because of the BJP's incessant attacks on the Trinamool Congress, saw a big twist on Saturday when a video surfaced purportedly showing a BJP leader in the village admitting that no rapes or sexual harassment had taken place and women were convinced to file such complaints at the directions of senior party leader Suvendu Adhikari.
The Trinamool Congress and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have lashed out at the BJP after the video began doing the rounds, claiming that it proves that the entire incident was scripted by the party to defame West Bengal. The BJP has vehemently denied the allegations.
The video has surfaced at a time when West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, who had also hit out the state government over the Sandeskhali allegations, has been accused of sexual harassment by a temporary employee of the Raj Bhavan.
NDTV could not verify the authenticity of the sting video, which was shot by a private news channel. The BJP and the leader in the video have claimed that the voice was edited.
In the video, BJP's Mandal Sabhapati, Gangadhar Koyal, can be heard saying that his party had convinced the women, who were protesting against the alleged grabbing of land in the village by Trinamool strongman Sheikh Shahjhan and his aides, that the Trinamool leader would not be arrested until such allegations were made. The instructions for this, he alleged, were given by BJP's Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, who was earlier with the Trinamool Congress.
The women had alleged that they were raped and sexually harassed by Shahjahan and two of his aides. This had prompted massive protests by the Bengal BJP and snowballed into a major national political issue ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also attacked the Trinamool Congress and Ms Banerjee and accused them of shielding the leader, who was eventually arrested in February after being on the run for over 50 days.
After the video was released, Gangadhar Koyal has said that it was part of a conspiracy and technology was used to edit his voice. He has also sent a complaint to the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the Sandeshkhali case.
"My video which is now viral is a conspiracy against me. They used technology to edit my voice. They wanted to malign me, my party, Suvendu Adhikari, and the women of Sandeshkhali," Mr Koyal said in Bengali.
'Staged Claims'
Sharing the sting video on its official handle on X, the Trinamool Congress wrote, "A viral video today exposed how the BJP left no stone unturned to malign Bengal. From "mass rape" to "arms seizure," every claim was bought and staged by none other than Suvendu Adhikari. People won't forgive these Bangla-Birodhis (people who oppose Bengal). Bengal's mothers & sisters shall avenge this!"
Speaking at a rally in Chakdah in Nadia district, Ms Banerjee said, "The entire Sandeshkhali incident was preplanned. The BJP had scripted it well. The truth has been exposed. I have been saying this for a long time. I have not seen the entire video. I will definitely see it."
"PM Modi gave sandesh (messages) regarding Sandeshkhali, but remained silent on the sexual harassment claims against the Governor, a representative of the Centre," the Trinamool Congress chief was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
'Spreading Rumours'
Hitting back, BJP leader Rahul Sinha said the Trinamool is spreading rumours because it knows it is losing on the electoral battlefield.
"The Trinamool Congress has seen that it stands no chance, it has started spreading rumours. They have also plotted a conspiracy by getting a woman to level allegations against the Governor," he said in Hindi.
Sharing Mr Koyal's video in which he says he claims his voice was edited, Mr Adhikari said in a post on X, "The truth can be twisted and a misleading version can be circulated. However its shelf life is very very short. Ultimately, Truth prevails."
Polling has been held in six out of Bengal's 42 Lok Sabha seats in the two phases held so far. The Basirhat constituency, where the BJP has fielded a Sandeshkhali sexual harassment survivor, will vote in the last phase on June 1.