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Journalism of Courage
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar Saturday alleged that some tribal women, who had joined his party, were forced by the TMC to perform a ‘dandavat parikrama’ (circumambulate in a prostrate position) as punishment and then rejoin the ruling party in Balurghat in North Dinajpur district. The alleged incident took place on Friday, he added.
Majumdar shared a purported video from his Twitter handle where three women can be seen allegedly performing a ‘dandavat parikrama’. “Martina Kisku, Shiuli Mardi, Thakran Soren and Malati Murmu, residents of Tapan Gofanagar, Tapan, joined the BJP yesterday. They belong to the ST community. Today, TMC goons forced them to return to the ruling party and punished them by asking to do a Dandavat Parikrama,” Majumdar wrote in a tweet on Saturday.
“TMC has time and again insulted tribal people. This takes it even higher. This is highly condemnable. We firmly stand with our karyakartas and will do everything to protect them,” his tweet read.
Talking to reporters later during the day in Kolkata, the BJP leader slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led party for being “anti-tribal”. “TMC did everything to insult tribals. I appeal to all tribal communities across the nation to protest against the TMC as they are anti-tribal,” he added.
According to reports, around 200 people had switched to BJP from TMC during a programme organised at Balurghat in North Dinajpur district on Wednesday. The BJP, however, alleged that the TMC leadership had on Friday forced some of them to return to the TMC. The saffron camp alleged that the tribal women were “punished” for defecting to the BJP.
However, one of the local women who was allegedly seen “rubbing her nose on the road” in the purported video, told local reporters on Saturday that she acted “out of her own will”. Martina Kisku said, “I could not sleep all night after leaving the TMC. After we joined the BJP, we realised our mistake. We forgot that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee provided us with several welfare schemes. We then decided to come back to the ruling party. As a form of atonement, we did what we did.”
TMC leader Pradipta Chakraborty said, “They realised their mistake and returned to our party. They performed Dandavat Parikrama on their own to pay. They could not sleep at night due to their move. So, they have come to terms with their mistake by doing this.”
Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari also slammed the TMC. “It is unthinkable that in independent India, such things are done to mete out punishment to tribal women. The TMC has crossed all limits. I will appeal to the Election Commission of India to take note of this incident and take action against the TMC for being anti-tribal,” said Adhikari.
He also urged the people of Bengal to “oust the corrupt TMC government from power”. “The TMC is full of thieves, dacoits and corrupt people. They need to be ousted from power. Those who are corrupt to the core are trying to put up an honest face. It is shameful. I have defeated Mamata Banerjee in the 2021 Assembly polls, now you (the people) have to defeat the entire TMC. You have to defeat the local leaders in upcoming panchayat polls,” the Nandigram MLA said.
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