NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has come under fire from the BJP after her remarks on the recent gangrape of an MBBS student in Durgapur. The main opposition party in the state, BJP on Monday accused Mamata of “justifying rape,” triggering a political row in Bengal.BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj, speaking at a press conference, criticized the state government and Mamata’s statement, saying, “…CM Mamata Banerjee justifies that rape. She says that women should not go out late at night…TMC has become synonymous with a regressive mindset.”Using TMC’s own slogan, “Maa, Maati, Maanush,” Bansuri further questioned the CM’s stance and governance, as quoted by ANI. She said, “…I would like to ask Mamata Banerjee, they raise slogans of ‘Maa, Maati, Maanush’. But due to your insensitiveness, misgovernance and regressive mindset, today ‘Maa’ is ashamed in Bengal, ‘Maati’ is bloodied and ‘Maanush’ is miserable…I urge the Mamata Banerjee government and the CM. herself to stop justifying rape and give justice to the victim.,Earlier, Union minister and BJP leader Kiren Rijiju also criticized Mamata, accusing her of “victim-blaming” in the Durgapur case.The row comes after Mamata Banerjee addressed the incident on Sunday. ANI agency news quoted her saying, “…The girls should not be allowed to go outside (college) at night. They have to protect themselves also. There is a forest area. Police are searching all the people. Nobody Will be excused. Whoever is guilty will be punished strictly. Three people have already been arrested. We will take stringent action… When it happens in other states, it is also condemnable. Such incidents have taken place in Manipur, UP, Bihar, Odisha; we also think the government must take stringent action there. In our state, we charge-sheeted the people within 1-2 months, and the lower court gave the order to hang the accused.”BJP leaders have said that such statements shift responsibility to victims rather than focusing on systemic failures and justice for the survivor.
