NEW DELHI, Aug 4: In keeping with the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s promise to maintain the respect for women, the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress has come down heavily on party leader and jail minister Akhil Giri asking him to resign after a video of him threatening a lady official was widely circulated.
In a stern message to party workers and to the minister, the TMC has asked him to apologise unconditionally to the lady officer and put in his resignation. The party’s action comes after massive public outrage. The minister’s behaviour did not go down well with the party’s top leadership either.
Trinamool Congress state chief Subrata Bakshi spoke to Akhil Giri and delivered the message on behalf of the party. Party spokesperson Dr Santanu Sen said, “Yesterday our minister misbehaved with a lady forest officer, and we clarified immediately that we do not support such behaviour… Our Forests Minister Birbaha Hansda has also spoken to the officer. Today, on the instructions of the party, our state president Subrata Bakshi has spoken to Akhil Giri on the telephone and directed him to seek the officer’s forgiveness and send his resignation to the party.”
“What is to be noted here is that the Trinamool Congress follows Raj Dharma and only the Trinamool Congress can take such action as a party,” he added. “Anti-women BJP will never be able to take such a step. And in the past, the CPM which has also indulged in anti-women actions will not be able to follow such Raj Dharma,” Dr Santanu Sen added.
The controversial minister is known for being a motor mouth and earlier Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had to apologise for his objectionable comments on President Droupadi Murmu.
Akhil Giri admitted his mistake but refused to tender an apology. “I admit that how I spoke to the officer as a Minister was inappropriate. But there is no question of me apologising to her,” Mr Giri said on Sunday. He claimed that the situation had escalated because of her and accused the officer of complicating the matter. “If I hadn’t intervened that day, a mob of 300-400 people would have gathered there to protest,” he added.
He also referred to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s statement in her public address on July 21, saying that Ms Banerjee had appealed to the conscience of the people, and not to their wealth. “Where is the conscience of the forest department now? Twenty-two shops were razed down overnight,” Mr Giri said.
In the video that had surfaced online, Mr Giri was seen verbally abusing the forest officer, Manisha Sau, at Tajpur beach in Purba Medinipur district, for allegedly trying to remove shop owners encroaching on forest land. He had also allegedly threatened the officer by saying she would not be able to live there for long if she did not cooperate with everyone.
“Akhil Giri’s actions represent Trinamool’s nature. Either loot money through intimidation or carry out a reign of terror,” Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sujan Chakraborty said.
The BJP leader Shamik Bhattacharyya echoed similar sentiments and said harassing government officials is part of Trinamool’s modus operandi. “There is absolute lawlessness in West Bengal. The State’s constitutional framework is breaking down,” Mr Bhattacharyya said.
(Manas Dasgupta)