Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to BJP's Basirhat candidate Rekha Patra, who raised the Sandeshkhali issue, and described her as 'Shakti Swaroopa'.
PM Modi, in the 9-minute conversation, spoke to Patra about her campaign preparations and talked about support among people for BJP. Rekha Patra detailed the prime minister on the ordeals faced by women in Sandeshkhali.
Patra told Modi that she feels good that he is standing by them and said, "It is like Ram ji is with us." She said she has not voted since 2011 due to the situation in the area, to which Modi assured that the Election Commission will hold free and fair elections.
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The BJP on Sunday announced the list of 111 candidates including Sandeshkali 'victim' Rekha Patra, Former Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay and former state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Patra, who had raised her voice against the alleged atrocities by local Trinamool Congress (TMC) strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his cronies, was picked by the BJP as its candidate from Basirhat Lok Saha seat, under which the village falls.
The BJP made a strong political statement in choosing Rekha Patra, a housewife from the troubled region of Sandeshkhali, as its candidate from Basirhat.
Patra is also believed to have been part of the group that met Modi on the sidelines of his public meeting in Barasat on March 6 and related the plight of Sandeshkhali women to the PM.
Speaking on her candidature from Basirhat, Rekha Patra said, "I want to thank PM Modi for the candidature (from Basirhat for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls). I will raise my voice for the Sandeshkahi victims."
Meanwhile, in response to the Sandeshkhali controversy, the Trinamool Congress has decided to withdraw MP Nusrat Jahan from the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat. The party has instead nominated Nurul Islam to contest in her place.