The Election Commission of India on Tuesday censured former Calcutta High Court Judge and BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Tamluk Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay for making alleged misogynistic remarks against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee debarring him from campaigning for 24 hours.
“This Commission hereby strongly censures Abhijit Gangopadhyay for the above-said misconduct and debars him from campaigning for 24 hours starting from 17.00 hrs of 21st May, 2024. The Commission also strictly warns Abhijit Gangopadhyay to remain careful in his public utterances during the currency of Model Code of Conduct,” an official statement by the Election Commission read.
However the BJP candidate later told the media he had requested the Commission to reconsider its decision and withdraw the ban on him and if the Commission would not do that he would then move the court. “I have written to the EC to reconsider its decision. If the order is not reconsidered, I will move the court at a suitable time to quash the order," he said.
Earlier the ECI had directed Justice Gangopadhyay to explain his conduct and after receiving his reply it said, “the Commission has carefully gone through the contents and averments made in the aforesaid reply of Abhijit Gangopadhyay and has again gone through the statement made and is convinced that he has made a low-level personal attack and thus violated the provisions of MCC.” The ECI directive comes days after the Trinamool Congress lodged a complaint with it against Justice Gangopadhyay during an election campaign where he in reference to Sandeshkhali incident asked the Chief Minister as to what her price was.
“You fix other people’s price but what is your price … what price do you fix while selling jobs” Justice Gangopadhyay had said.
Though the BJP leaders said that Justice Gangopadhyay had not meant any sexist remark and that his reference to price stood for the price for selling government jobs etc --- a scam that has already sent a number of TMC stalwarts including Ministers and MLAs to jail in a letter to the Bengal Chief Electoral Officer TMC leader Derek O’Brien said, “In the said speech, Gangopadhyay has made certain highly offensive utterances, being Mamata Banerjee, how much are you being sold for? Your rate is 10 lakhs, why? Because you are getting your make-up done by Keya Seth?”
In the letter O’Brien also said that the retired Judges remarks cleared showed the “misogynist conduct of the BJP candidate. It is unfortunate that having being held a prominent position in the judiciary, he has chosen to attack on the dignity of women, especially one who is holding a position of power.”