The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): The Election Commission (EC) issued a show-cause notice to Abhijit Gangopadhyay, a former high court judge and BJP Lok Sabha candidate, on Friday for making “improper, injudicious, and undignified” remarks against Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. These comments have sparked a war of words in West Bengal, where elections are underway. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has claimed that the remarks reflect a “misogynist mindset” within the BJP, while the BJP contends that Gangopadhyay’s comments have been “misconstrued” by the TMC.
Gangopadhyay is the fourth politician in the current Lok Sabha elections to receive a notice for undignified remarks against women. The EC previously censured BJP’s Dilip Ghosh and Congress’s Supriya Shrinate for their comments against Mamata Banerjee and Kangana Ranaut, respectively. Additionally, Randeep Surjewala of the Congress was barred from campaigning for 48 hours due to his remarks against BJP’s Hema Malini.
The EC’s action followed a TMC complaint regarding Gangopadhyay’s comments during a public meeting on May 15 in Haldia. Gangopadhyay is running for the Tamluk seat in West Bengal, with voting scheduled for May 25. The EC’s notice described Gangopadhyay’s remarks as “improper, injudicious, beyond dignity in every sense of the term, in bad taste,” and a prima facie violation of the Model Code of Conduct and its advisory to political parties. The EC has requested a response from Gangopadhyay by 5 pm on May 20.
The notice also reminded Gangopadhyay, a former Calcutta High Court judge, of the EC’s recent advisory urging political parties and candidates to avoid actions or statements that could be seen as dishonoring the dignity of women. The TMC has announced plans to pursue legal action, claiming Gangopadhyay’s remarks crossed all decency limits.
A video that surfaced on Thursday purportedly shows Gangopadhyay questioning “the amount at which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is getting sold,” which has further fueled the controversy. The TMC labeled the remarks as proof of the BJP’s disrespect for women, while the BJP questioned the video’s authenticity. PTI, however, could not verify the video’s authenticity.
TMC leader and West Bengal minister Shashi Panja criticized Gangopadhyay’s remarks as indicative of his “anti-women traits,” asserting that BJP politics have hit a new low. Panja demanded that Gangopadhyay’s candidacy be canceled due to the sexist nature of his comments.
In response to the EC’s notice, the BJP stated that Gangopadhyay would reply but maintained that his words had been “misconstrued” by the TMC. BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya explained that Gangopadhyay intended to highlight Mamata Banerjee’s disrespect towards women, particularly BJP candidate Sandeshkhali Rekha Patra. The BJP also accused the TMC of releasing fake videos to tarnish its image.
