Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee has stirred a controversy with his disparaging remarks against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, whom he equated with a “venomous snake”. The BJP reacted sharply saying TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has lost control over her party leaders who are “uttering nonsense” out of frustration. The BJP said it will lodge an FIR against the TMC MP for his “misogynistic” remark.
Addressing a protest rally at Bankura against rising fuel prices and the proposed privatisation of trains on Saturday, Kalyan Banerjee demanded Sitharaman’’s resignation.
“Just like a ‘’kal nagini’’ (killer venomous snake) bites and kills people, her economic policies are killing the country’’s economy,” he said.
The TMC Lok Sabha member also called her “the worst finance minister” in the world. Kalyan Banerjee was even critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He had promised a new India and has done it by bringing down the GDP growth rate to “abysmal” levels, the TMC lawmaker alleged.
While BJP’s national secretary Rahul Sinha said the party will lodge an FIR against the TMC MP for his comments that disparaged women, State party president Dilip Ghosh claimed West Bengal chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has lost grip over her party leaders.
“Corruption has spread in the TMC from top to bottom; they have become puzzled by internal feud and many of them are making senseless comments to divert the attention from the situation prevailing in the ruling party.
“We don’t give much importance to such comments.... they are uttering such nonsense out of frustration,” he said.
“Mamata Banerjee recently sermonised people to maintain dignity of language in political discourse. Is this the kind of language that should be used against a lady? He is an advocate. Is this the language of an advocate? He has disparaged all women with his remarks,” Sinha said.
BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra called Kalyan Banerjee’’s remarks “misogynistic”. “He comes from a state where Goddess Durga and Goddess Kali are venerated. Mamata Banerjee is a woman and she should take action against her MP for his misogynistic comments. But I don’t think she will,” Patra told India Today news channel.