Mamata lashes out at governor for 'misconduct' with woman employee

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on Friday strongly criticised Governor C V Ananda Bose for his alleged misconduct towards a woman employee of Raj Bhavan, which came to light yesterday evening.

Addressing an election rally in Purba Bardhaman, Banerjee expressed astonishment at the governor’s behaviour towards the woman who had gone to Raj Bhavan looking for a job.

“Yesterday, a young woman who worked at Raj Bhavan came out and spoke against the governor’s harassment…the tears of the woman broke my heart. I have seen her video testimony, she said.

Banerjee questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Raj Bhavan last night, remained silent on the issue.

“The woman cried and walked out saying she was too scared to work at Raj Bhavan anymore. She said that she 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?” Banerjee said.

Bose on Thursday had said he will not be cowed down by “engineered narratives” and the “truth shall triumph”, hours after TMC leaders claimed that the woman had lodged a police complaint against the governor for molestation.

Banerjee also criticised the Election Commission for transferring around 1,500 police officers from West Bengal to other states for election duties, without reciprocal assistance from other states.

“No police personnel from other states have come to West Bengal, the EC had sent only central forces. But strangely, no one from state police sent elsewhere were allowed to cast postal ballots. The poll panel is not allowing this”, she said, adding, “We will not sit tight. We will take it to its logical conclusion and fight to the end”.

Asserting that democracy is under threat in the country, Banerjee accused the BJP of manipulating EVMs and spreading falsehoods during campaigning.

Banerjee criticised the BJP for its policies, including the NRC, CAA, and Uniform Civil Code, which she argued undermine people’s rights.

She also accused the BJP of hypocrisy, alleging that it failed to reinstate jobs lost under CPI(M) rule in Tripura, despite promising to do so before coming to power.

“The BJP snatched away jobs of school teachers in West Bengal. The party is now saying they will help those who lost their jobs. It had said the same thing before coming to power in Tripura when 10,000 jobs were taken away during CPI(M) rule in the state. Have those jobs been reinstated by the BJP after coming to power there”, she asked.

Banerjee said in West Bengal, the CPI(M), Congress, and BJP are fighting together. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed his indiscretion by questioning Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest from Rae Bareli while speaking at a public rally. Rahul Gandhi’s choice seems justified. How does it matter to Modi. At some point, he (Modi) contested from multiple seats. Even BJP leaders have done the same,” she said.