TMC Demands Apology From Bengal BJP Chief Over 'Slap CM Mamata' Remark, Sukanta Majumdar Says 'Grow Up'

Majumdar sparked uproar when he made disparaging statements about Mamata Banerjee while criticising the state's education policy.

A battle of words erupted between West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party president Sukanta Majumdar and Trinamool Congress politician Mahua Moitra after a remark purportedly made by the former regarding chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Majumdar sparked uproar when he made disparaging statements about Mamata Banerjee while criticising the state's education policy. In a viral video shared on the TMC's official handle on X on Monday, Majumdar encourages attendees at a rally in Mathurapur, South 24 Parganas district, to "slap" Banerjee.

"If you want to slap, slap Mamata Banerjee," he said in Bengali. 

Demanding an apology for what the TMC considered a misogynistic remark, TMC leader Mahua Moitra slammed the BJP on Tuesday, stamping it "anti-women" and emphasizing the discrepancy between their rhetoric about 'Nari Shakti' (women empowerment) and the alleged statement made by the BJP state president.

While sharing a video statement of Moitra, TMC on its official X handle stated: “While PM @narendramodi keeps talking about Nari Shakti, his Bengal State President has called for the public to slap our Hon'ble Chief Minister. Our leader, Smt.@MahuaMoitra denounced @DrSukantaBJP's outrageous remark against Smt.@MamataOfficial and called for a public apology from the @BJP4India camp for their CHAUVINISTIC and PATRIARCHAL attitude towards women!"

In response to Moitra's statement, Majumdar, on X, said: “A lady who shows a 'Particular' finger now and then in public, was found insulting journalists, using derogatory abuses etc., will now teach lessons of respect using a cropped portion of my speech... Grow Up.”

According to news agency PTI, a state BJP leader anonymously conveyed his disgust of the claimed statements, distancing himself from them while continuing to criticise Banerjee's ideology.

TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar was shocked by the disparaging statements made against the country's only female chief minister. She also questioned the motivation behind such statements and expressed worry about the deterioration of political discourse when politicians use such rhetoric.