On Thursday (7th March), ‘journalist’ turned politician Sagarika Ghose took to X (formerly Twitter) to downplay the raging unrest in Sandeshkhali village in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal as a ‘local land dispute.’
She made the remarks soon after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led a rally of Trinamool Congress’ Mahila Wing workers in Kolkata. The event, based on the theme of ‘Mahilader Adhikar, Amader Angikar (Women’s rights, our commitment)’, allegedly saw the participation of women from Sandeshkhali.
Sagarika Ghose, whom TMC recently gave a Rajya Sabha seat, tweeted, “Exhilarating experience on the women’s march today led by India’s only woman chief minister @MamataOfficial ahead of #InternationalWomensDay. A pleasure to meet @abhishekaitc on the march.”
Exhilarating experience on the women’s march today led by India’s only woman chief minister @MamataOfficial ahead of #InternationalWomensDay. A pleasure to meet @abhishekaitc on the march. Meeting the women of Sandeshkhali was an eyeopener. They said local land disputes were… pic.twitter.com/NVJ5nLRrEv
— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) March 7, 2024
“Meeting the women of Sandeshkhali was an eye-opener. They said local land disputes were being politicised by outsiders ahead of elections and Sandeshkhali’s own votes remained firmly with Trinamool Congress,” she brazened out.
Sagarika Ghose wasted no time in downplaying the unrest in Sandeshkhali village, which took place after scores of women took to the streets demanding justice for the atrocities committed against them by TMC goons.
She brushed off the raging controversy as a ‘local land dispute.’ OpIndia had reported the testimonies of several women of Sandeshkhali. They courageously narrated the sexual exploitation suffered by them at the hands of TMC leaders such as Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides Uttam Sardar and Shiba Prasad Hazra.
In Sandeshkhali, Bengal, women are being treated as commodities, with the Lokkhir Bhandar increasing from 500 to 1000 rupees. One victim questions if this fee is for providing 'satisfaction' to TMC goons. This exploitation is outrageous and shameful. #EndTyranny #JusticeForWomen pic.twitter.com/XM8oUtWels
— Locket Chatterjee (Modi Ka Parivar) (@me_locket) February 10, 2024
While illegal land grabbing by the Trinamool Congress was one of the concerns of the villagers, it wasn’t the crux of the issue. The former ‘journalist’ shrewdly dismissed key concerns of women’s safety and threats of gang rape received by the victims from her party leaders.
Interestingly, Sagarika Ghose mentioned that the villagers would continue to vote for the TMC. She however forgot to inform that the likes of Sheikh Shahjahan did not spare the women who voted for the party.
মহিলাদের উপর শাহজাহানদের অত্যাচার pic.twitter.com/J2sz0aKI3z
— গর্ত চ্যাটার্জি (Parody) (@KanglaPokho) February 11, 2024
Besides denying the harrowing experiences of the women in Sandesghkhali as a ‘local land dispute’, Sagarika Ghose accused the ‘outsiders’ of politicising the issue. The use of the word ‘outsider’ to refer to the Opposition BJP in West Bengal is a well-thought-out move.
Since 2019, the TMC supremo Mamta Banerjee herself has blamed ‘outsiders’ for incidents of violence and unrest that took place in the State. The objective behind it was to evade responsibility for failing to provide safety and security to the residents of West Bengal.
It also served another purpose of creating a magnified sense of fear among the Bengali community that their culture, language and safety were somehow being usurped by migrants from other states.
The regionalism and eventual polarisation have yielded great results for the TMC in the 2021 West Bengal elections. Now, Sagarika Ghose is following in the footsteps of Mamata Banerjee.
Respected Shri @narendramodi ji, instead of criticising Bengal , introspect about your party’s anti woman record and learn from the Bengal Model of Womens’ Empowerment. @AITCofficial pic.twitter.com/3rTgZfujwW
— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) March 6, 2024
On Wednesday (6th March), the ‘journalist’ turned politician went on a vicious tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Mr. Narendra Modi ji, you have again come to Bengal and you are talking about how the BJP is the face of Bengali women. Mr. Modi, let me remind you, it was your party who so mockingly caricatured our revered Maa Sharada. It was your party that fielded first as a candidate from Asasol, a singer who openly denigrates Bengali women in his videos,” Sagarika Ghose brazened out.
“It is your party who star MPs Brij Bhushan Saran Singh, who has been accused by Olympic medal-winning wrestlers of sexual harassment and has been charged under the POSCO Act. He is roaming free when all the accused in Sandeshkali, one by one, are being arrested. It is your party, Mr. Narendra Modi, which has at its local face, Shuvendu Adhikari, who is not known for being an exemplar of gender justice,” she claimed.
She had convincingly omitted the fact that the primary accused in Sandeshkhali Sheikh Shahjahan was only arrested after the intervention of the Calcutta High Court. “Mr. Narendra Modi, instead of denigrating Bengal, learn from the Bengal model of female empowerment. Learn from us. Don’t condemn us,” Sagarika Ghose concluded her deranged rant.
