May 17th 2024.
The Election Commission issued a show-cause notice to Abhijit Gangopadhyay, a former high court judge and BJP candidate for Lok Sabha, for his inappropriate comments against Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. These remarks sparked a heated exchange between political parties in West Bengal, with the TMC accusing BJP of having a misogynistic mindset, while BJP argued that TMC had misinterpreted Gangopadhyay's words.
Gangopadhyay is the fourth politician to receive such a notice during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections for making undignified comments against women. Earlier, BJP's Dilip Ghosh and Congress' Supriya Shrinate were reprimanded by the EC for their remarks against Mamata Banerjee and Kangana Ranaut respectively. Congress' Randeep Surjewala also faced a 48-hour ban from campaigning for his comments against BJP's Hema Malini.
The Election Commission's action was taken in response to a complaint filed by the Trinamool Congress against Gangopadhyay's speech at a public meeting in Haldia on May 15. The notice stated that his comments were improper, injudicious, and in bad taste, and violated the Model Code of Conduct and the EC's advisory to political parties. The EC asked for a response from Gangopadhyay by 5 pm on May 20.
The notice also reminded Gangopadhyay of the recent advisory that urged political parties and candidates to refrain from any actions or statements that could be seen as disrespectful towards women. The Trinamool Congress announced plans to take legal action against Gangopadhyay, stating that his remarks had crossed all boundaries of decency.
A video surfaced on Thursday, allegedly showing Gangopadhyay questioning the integrity of Mamata Banerjee. However, the authenticity of the video could not be verified by PTI. TMC leader and West Bengal minister Shashi Panja condemned the comments, calling them a display of Gangopadhyay's anti-women attitude and a reflection of the BJP's degraded politics. She demanded that his candidature for Tamluk be cancelled.
In response to the EC's notice, the BJP stated that Gangopadhyay would respond but argued that his words had been misinterpreted by the TMC. State spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya clarified that Gangopadhyay was bringing attention to Mamata Banerjee's disrespect towards women, particularly towards BJP candidate Sandeshkhali Rekha Patra. The BJP also raised doubts about the authenticity of the video, labeling it as a tactic by TMC to spread misinformation and defame their party.
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