'mamata banerjee is a liar' bjp hits back after west bengal cm writes second letter to pm modi

'mamata banerjee is a liar' bjp hits back after west bengal cm writes second letter to pm modi

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Friday called Mamata Banerjee a ‘liar’ as it reacted strongly to West Bengal chief minister's second letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid continuing protests over the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's R G Kar hospital.

In her letter, Mamata reminded PM Modi about her first letter sent on August 22 - in which she had stressed the need for a stringent central legislation against incidents of rape and exemplary punishment to the perpetrators - and expressed concern that she did not get any response from the Prime Minister.

‘No reply has been received from your end on such a sensitive issue,’ Mamata wrote in her letter.

The West Bengal chief minister acknowledged the response of Union minister of women and child development Annapurna Devi to her letter but called the minister's reply ‘generic which barely attended the gravity of the issue.’

‘I am of the view that the seriousness of the subject and its relevance to society have not been adequately appreciated in this generic reply received from the minister of women and child development, government of India (vide their No. 1/RESC/HMWCD/2024 dated 25th August 2024),’ Mamata wrote in her letter.

The BJP reacted strongly to Mamata's letter and asked her to answer the questions raised by the Union minister instead of writing letters to Prime Minister.

‘Mamata Banerjee is a LIAR. Smt Annapurna Devi, Union Minister of Women and Child Development, responded to West Bengal Chief Minister on 25th Aug 2024. In her letter, in point 4, she specifically mentions West Bengal Govt NOT setting up even a single Fast Track Court for addressing rape and POCSO related cases,’ BJP leader Amit Malviya posted on X slamming Mamata for her letter to PM Modi.

The BJP leader quoted the relevant portion of the minister's reply and said: ‘It is incumbent on Mamata Banerjee to explain why West Bengal Govt hasn’t done anything for implementing the stringent rules and regulations, which exist for protecting women and girl. Stop writing letters. ANSWER the questions. You are ACCOUNTABLE.’

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh asked Mamata Banerjee to act with honesty and integrity and said writing letters to the Prime Minister was not enough to bring justice to the victims.

In a post on X, Tarun Chugh wrote, ‘The government led by @narendramodi is committed to the safety and protection of women and children in our country. Under Modi Ji's leadership, significant reforms have been introduced through the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. However, if a state is determined to protect criminals, it undermines the justice system. Writing letters to the Prime Minister to mislead the people of Bengal is not enough to bring justice to the victims. The state administration must act with honesty and integrity in such situations to ensure justice is served.’

Earlier, Annapurna Devi had in her reply said the situation of women in West Bengal had been ‘deteriorating’ and slammed the Mamata Banerjee government for failing to implement central schemes such as fast-track courts and emergency helplines to deal with crimes against women. The Union minister had also alleged that the fast-track special courts (FTSCs), which were allocated to West Bengal, were yet to become operational in the state.

Mamata countered the minister's charges and wrote that 10 exclusive POCSO (Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act) courts have been approved by the state government. She further mentioned that 88 fast-track special courts and 62 POCSO-designated courts are already functioning in West Bengal on state funding.

The West Bengal chief minister also wrote that helpline numbers 112 and 1098 were functioning in the state and additionally, Dial-100 was being used extensively in emergency situations.

Mamata has been under pressure over the rape-murder case with the BJP spearheading protests against her government and demanding her resignation.