Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national vice-president Dilip Ghosh stroked a fresh controversy after he made some "derogatory remarks" against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee referring to her "Banglar Meye" (Daughter of Bengal) campaign during the last assembly polls in the state. An agitated Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday met Governor Jagdeep Dhankar at Raj Bhavan seeking BJP leader's arrest and unconditional apology.
An eight-member TMC delegation met Dhankar earlier in the day at Raj Bhavan and urged him to condemn the remarks made against Banerjee. The TMC delegation comprising Kunal Ghosh, Sashi Panja, Tapas Ray, Kakali Ghosh Dastidar, Nayana Bandyopadhyay, Sazda Ahmed and Mala Roy met Dhankar at around 3 pm today.
The controversy broke after Dilip Ghosh allegedly made derogatory remarks about Banerjee's family a recent session at the 'India Today Conclave East'. Ghosh allegedly made some unsavoury remarks against Banerjee's campaign during last Assembly elections and her subsequent visit to Goa, where she claimed to have felt affinity towards the coastal state.
Governor Dhankar assured the TMC delegation to look into the matter. "Delegation @AITCofficial sought intervention at remarks made against Hon’ble CM was assured of consideration. Indicated to delegation concerns at worrisome Constitutional transgressions, insensitive stance towards human rights and need for working in tandem for public good," Dhankar tweeted after meeting TMC leaders.
TMC Demands Strict Punishment For Dilip Ghosh
The TMC delegation that met the governor said it requested Raj Bhavan occupant to ensure strict punishment for Ghosh "We have requested the governor to condemn the remarks. On various occasions, we have seen him actively calling out remarks of others. We hope that on this occasion, too, he will do the same. Steps must be taken to ensure strictest punishment for the BJP leader," MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said.
Expressing shock over the utterances of Ghosh at the conclave, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee had on Wednesday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Outrageous. PM @narendramodi, it is about time to get this loose tongue arrested! Is this how @BJP4India leaders talk about the only sitting woman Chief Minister of the nation?" he tweeted.
Dilip Ghosh Issues Clarification Over His Remarks
Meanwhile, facing ire over his remarks, Ghosh clarified that he was trying to lay bare TMC's "politics of opportunism".
"She is saying one thing in Bengal and something completely different in another part of the country. I am not withdrawing my comments and neither do I regret making them. The TMC has now complained about it to the governor, the same person they abuse regularly. This is political opportunism," Ghosh said.
Even Bengal BJP issued a statement saying that the party was not in favour of personal attacks, which is the "hallmark of the TMC", but if anyone was hurt by any comment of Ghosh, that was "unintended".