BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi addresses a press conference at the party headquarters, in Lucknow. File | Photo Credit: PTI
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday said President Droupadi Murmu’s statement on crimes against women reflected the seriousness and depth of the issue and that there was a need to rise above party politics to ensure that justice was done and such crimes were curbed in future.
At a press conference on the protests seeking justice for the alleged rape-murder victim in Kolkata, BJP national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee of intimidating the protesting doctors. “After obstructing the investigation, protecting the accused, and compromising evidence in the rape and murder case of a female doctor at Kolkata Medical College, Ms. Banerjee now appears to be employing a new tactic to intimidate the protesting doctors,” he said.
The BJP leader said the Chief Minister issued a vailed threat by saying that she did not want any FIR to be registered as it would jeopardise careers and those affected would have difficulties in getting passports and visas. He also criticised Ms. Banerjee for her suggestion to hold elections in the State, calling it a reflection of the West Bengal government’s frustration and distress.
Mr. Trivedi said seeking justice for the victim was not an electoral issue, adding that it was a matter of presenting evidence in a court of law and ensuring that the guilty were punished. “Justice is not determined by elections…the belief that justice will be swayed by those in power is a very dangerous concept,” he said.
“Unlike previous strikes, leaders of the ruling party are now trying to keep businesses open during a bandh, after which the Chief Minister addresses the media…if the Constitution is under threat anywhere, it is in West Bengal. The State’s Minister, Udayan Guha, has threatened to break the fingers of anyone who challenges the Chief Minister… MP Arup Chakraborty warned that protesting doctors would face severe consequences,” said Mr. Trivedi.
“The situation is clearly evident in West Bengal. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, during his tenure as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had said there was no democracy in West Bengal. His words now seem to be coming true,” he said.
“Her government began its term with violence, which led to reprimands from the Calcutta High Court in 2021. Ms. Banerjee’s administration has a ‘certified certificate’ from the High Court for its violent practices…unlike other States where election-related violence has diminished, West Bengal remains plagued by such violence both during and after elections,” said the BJP leader.
He also questioned the State government’s handling of the rape-murder case, stating that efforts were made to protect the medical college’s principal and destroy the evidence to shield the perpetrators. “The case was not handed over to the CBI, and now, Ms. Banerjee’s focus on capital punishment seems to be a diversion from these critical issues…how many culprits in rape cases have been hanged by Ms. Banerjee’s government? What is the conviction rate of the West Bengal government?” he asked.
The BJP leader also accused the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) partners of being complicit, pointing out that Kapil Sibal — a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh on the Samajwadi Party’s support and a former Congress Minister — was the lawyer for the Trinamool government.
