- Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee's remarks on the Kolkata law student rape case caused an uproar
- The party condemned the remarks and distanced itself from them
- Mr Banerjee hit back and asked if leaders who supported criminals were being shielded
The Trinamool Congress, facing a relentless attack from the BJP over the links of the main accused in the Kolkata law student rape case to its student wing, found itself sinking deeper into a quagmire on Saturday after one of its own MPs decided to train his guns on the party and asked whether it was supporting leaders who are shielding criminals.
Barely had the Trinamool Congress begun recovering after distancing itself from Monojit Mishra, the main accused in Wednesday's rape of the student at the South Calcutta Law College, when its MP Kalyan Banerjee's comments gave the opposition ammunition to launch a renewed offensive against it on Saturday.
The party censured him, but Mr Banerjee decided not to back down and go on the warpath instead.
In remarks seen as an attempt to downplay the seriousness of the crime and deflect accountability, Mr Banerjee had said, "What can be done if a friend rapes his friend? Will the police be in schools? This was done by students to another student. Who will protect her (the survivor)? Who does all this criminality and molestation? Some men do it. So, who should women fight against? Women should fight against these perverted men," he said on Saturday.
"I am saying the same thing again and again. Whoever has done it must be arrested immediately. But if a friend rapes a friend, how can that be corruption? The condition of safety and security is the same everywhere. As long as the mindset of men remains this way, these incidents will keep occurring," he added.
MLA Madan Mitra deepened the wound when he appeared to blame the survivor herself.
"If the girl had not gone there, this incident would not have happened. If she had told someone where she was going, taken a couple of friends with her, it would not have happened. The people who committed the crime took advantage of the situation," Mr Mitra said.
Facing backlash, the Trinamool Congress condemned both the MP and MLA's remarks and attempted to distance itself from them.
"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. These views do not reflect the position of the party in any manner whatsoever," the party said in a statement.
"Our stance remains resolute; we have zero tolerance for crimes against women and demand the strictest possible punishment for all those involved in this heinous crime," it added.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra also shared the statement on X and said that while misogyny cuts across party lines, what makes the Trinamool Congress different is that it condemns "disgusting comments no matter who makes them".
Guns Blazing
Mr Banerjee responded on Saturday evening and, mincing no words, hit out at his own party, appearing to accuse it of backing leaders who shield criminals.
"I completely disagree with the post made by @AITCofficial on X. Are they indirectly supporting the leaders who are shielding these criminals? Mere academic statements won't bring any real change unless immediate action is taken against those leaders directly responsible. What's even more unfortunate is that some of the leaders who emerged after 2011 are themselves under question in such crimes," the MP wrote on X.
Mr Banerjee also said some in the party lacked the "moral and intellectual alignment" to understand what he had said.
"I also wish to clearly distance myself from those who are encouraging or protecting these criminals. To truly understand the intent behind my words and statements, a certain level of moral and intellectual alignment is required - which, unfortunately, seems to be missing," he sneered.
