New Delhi: The fallout from the alleged rape of a 24-year-old law student at South Calcutta Law College has triggered a public spat within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), as senior party MP Kalyan Banerjee launched a personal attack on fellow MP Mahua Moitra after she criticised his remarks on the case.
Banerjee, whose earlier comments on the rape case were widely condemned as insensitive, accused Moitra of being “anti-women” and referred to her marriage to former BJD MP Pinaki Misra. “She has broken up a family of 40 years and married a 65-year-old guy,” Banerjee said, responding to Moitra’s criticism of his and MLA Madan Mitra’s statements.
‘Misogyny exists across party lines’
Moitra had backed the TMC’s decision to distance itself from the remarks made by Banerjee and Mitra, calling them “disgusting” and pointing out that misogyny exists across party lines. “What differentiates @AITCofficial is that we condemn these comments no matter who makes them,” she said in a post on X.
The TMC, in an official statement, said, “The remarks made by MP Kalyan Banerjee and MLA Madan Mitra concerning the heinous crime at South Calcutta Law College were made in their personal capacities. The party unequivocally disassociates itself from their statements and strongly condemns the same.”
On June 25, a law student was allegedly raped by three men inside the college union room. The accused — Manojit Mishra, a former student linked to the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad; and current students Pramit Mukherjee and Zaib Ahmed — have been arrested along with a security guard. The survivor said she was assaulted, filmed, and confined for over three hours.
Banerjee’s remarks trigger criticism
Banerjee had earlier stated, “If a friend rapes a friend, how can you ensure security? Will there be police in schools?” Mitra also made controversial remarks, saying, “If that girl had not gone there, this incident wouldn’t have happened.”
The remarks triggered criticism from civil society and political opponents. BJP leader Amit Malviya called TMC a “party of rape-sympathisers, rape enablers and serial offenders”.
After the backlash, the TMC issued a show-cause notice to Mitra, giving him three days to respond. No such notice has been issued to Banerjee so far.