Mamata lashes out at governor for 'misconduct' with woman employee

West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday lashed out at governor C.V. Ananda Bose for his alleged misconduct with a woman employee of Raj Bhavan, which came to light on Thursday evening.

Addressing an election rally in Purba Bardhaman district, Banerjee expressed astonishment at the governor's alleged behaviour towards the woman, who had gone to Raj Bhavan looking for a job.

"Yesterday, a young woman who worked in Raj Bhavan came out and spoke against the governor's harassment... the tears of the woman broke my heart. I have seen her video testimony," she said.

Banerjee questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Raj Bhavan on Thursday night, remained silent on the issue. "The woman cried and walked out saying she was too scared to work in Raj Bhavan any more. She said she was called at odd hours and was subjected to harassment. And these are the people who talk about the dignity of our mothers and sisters?" Banerjee said.

"You (PM) are doing so much drama on Sandeshkhali. We had taken necessary action the moment we found some aberrations. But you spent the entire night in Raj Bhavan even after the allegations by the hapless woman came to light. Why are you silent?" she asked at a second rally at Purbasthali in Purba Bardhaman.

"It is deeply distressing that the same governor who showed great urgency in reaching Sandeshkhali now stands accused of molesting a female member of staff," Banerjee said at the rally.

Bose on Thursday had said he would not be cowed down by "engineered narratives" and the "truth shall triumph", hours after TMC leaders claimed that the woman employee had lodged a police complaint against the governor for molestation.

Banerjee also criticised the Election Commission for transferring around 1,500 police officers from West Bengal to other states for election duties, without reciprocal assistance from other states.

"No police personnel from other states have come to West Bengal, the EC had sent only Central forces. But strangely, no one from the state police sent elsewhere were allowed to cast postal ballots. The poll panel is not allowing it," she said. "We will not sit tight. We will take it to its logical conclusion and fight to the end."

Asserting that democracy is under threat in the country, Banerjee accused the BJP of manipulating EVMs and spreading falsehoods during campaigning.

She also criticised the BJP for its policies, including the NRC, CAA, and Uniform Civil Code, which she argued undermine people's rights. She also accused the BJP of hypocrisy, alleging that it failed to reinstate jobs lost under CPI(M) rule in Tripura, despite promising to do so before coming to power.

"The BJP snatched away jobs of school teachers in West Bengal. The party is now saying they will help those who lost their jobs. It had said the same thing before coming to power in Tripura when 10,000 jobs were taken away during CPI(M) rule in the state. Have those jobs been reinstated by the BJP after coming to power there?" she asked.

Once again hitting out at PM Modi, Banerjee said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed his indiscretion by questioning Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from Rae Bareli while speaking at a public rally. Rahul Gandhi's choice seems justified. How does it matter to Modi? At some point, he (Modi) contested from multiple seats. Other BJP leaders have done the same."