Delhi/Kolkata:

High Court judge-turned-politician Abhijit Gangopadhyay has been barred by the poll panel from campaigning for 24 hours over sexist remarks on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The Election Commission of India (EC) said that the candidates contesting the ongoing Lok Sabha polls should refrain from making statements that amount to attack on anyone’s personal life.

The BJP, meanwhile, claimed it was a “fake video”. “We don’t agree with the existence of any such videos. This is a ploy by the TMC to release fake videos and malign the BJP. But that won’t make any difference in the elections,” BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.

The former judge’s purported comment — videos of which are circulating online — has provided massive ammunition to Trinamool, which has tagged the BJP as “anti-women” since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Didi-O-Didi” taunt in 2021.

Mr Gangopadhyay’s video, who is contesting from Tamluk, comes amid the Sandeshkhali row and the subsequent battle for the support of the state’s women voters.

Mr Gangopadhyay – who made headlines with his rulings and has had run-ins with lawyers, judges, and senior leaders from Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress – quit the Calcutta High Court and joined the BJP in March this year.

New Delhi:

The Election Commission has served Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay a show-cause notice for “improper, injudicious and undignified remarks” remarks against Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The poll panel said the remarks, prima facie, violated Model Code of Conduct provisions and its advisory dated March 1.

The remarks by the BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from the Tamluk seat were made at a public meeting in Haldia district on Wednesday, and were made public after a video emerged online a day later.

The comments – condemned as sexist – prompted the Trinamool to file a complaint with the top poll panel, accusing the former judge – with whom the party has had several run-ins – of making “misogynistic” comments. The BJP, however, has denounced the video as “fake”.

In a letter to the EC, the Trinamool hit out at the “very shameful and egregious statement” made by the BJP leader and alleged that comments showed the Tamluk candidate’s “misogynistic mindset”.

“Mr Gangopadhyay’s vulgar and uncouth remark(s)/comment(s) are completely beyond the grounds of decency and morality. They not only lack decorum but also exhibit a blatant disregard of the only lady Chief Minister, Smt. Mamata Banerjee,” the letter read.

The letter also alleged that BJP candidates were making “indecorous and degrading statements” against women to garner votes.

The Trinamool Congress demanded that the poll body issue orders to initiate criminal proceedings against the Mr Gangopadhyay and ban him from attending public meetings or rallies. The letter also sought directions to be issued to BJP candidates, barring them from making “personal, objectionable and disgraceful” remarks.

The BJP has fielded Mr Gangopadhyay from Tamluk seat in West Bengal where voting will be held on May 25.

The EC in its notice noted that Mr Gangopadhyay’s comment has been found to be “improper, injudicious, beyond dignity in every sense of term, in bad taste” and prima facie violative of the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct and its advisory to political parties.

The EC has sought a response by 5 pm of May 20.

The Trinamool Congress on Friday wrote to the Election Commission demanding action against BJP candidate Abhijit Gangopadhyay over his “misogynistic” comments against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

A video circulating online purportedly shows the High Court judge-turned-politician targeting the Trinamool chief. However, the BJP has claimed that the video was fake and used by Trinamool to “malign” the party.  “This is a ploy by the TMC to release fake videos and malign the BJP. But that won’t make any difference in the elections,” BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya told news agency PTI on Thursday.

In its letter, the Trinamool Congress hit out at the “very shameful and egregious statement” made by the BJP leader and alleged that comments showed the Tamluk candidate’s “misogynistic mindset”.

“Mr. Gangopadhyay’s vulgar and uncouth remark(s)/comment(s) are completely beyond the grounds of decency and morality. They not only lack decorum but also exhibit a blatant disregard of the only lady Chief Minister, Smt. Mamata Banerjee,” the letter read.

The letter also alleged that BJP candidates were making “indecorous and degrading statements” against women to garner votes.

The Trinamool Congress demanded that the poll body issue orders to initiate criminal proceedings against the Mr Gangopadhyay and ban him from attending public meetings or rallies. The letter also sought directions to be issued to BJP candidates, barring them from making “personal, objectionable and disgraceful” remarks.

The purported video triggered a row on Thursday after the Trinamool Congress alleged that the clip was another example of BJP’s “anti-women” stance amid the Sandeshkhali row.

In a press conference, Trinamool leader and West Bengal minister Shashi Panja said the party will take legal action against Mr Gangopadhyay. “He is a candidate and a former judge. He must be aware of the legal matters than most of us. Can a candidate use such words?” she said. 

Voting for the remaining constituencies of West Bengal will be held on May 20, May 25, and June 1. The votes will be counted on June 4.

Kolkata:

Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress has been up in arms against a controversial comment by High Court judge-turned-politician Abhijit Gangopadhyay that targets Mamata Banerjee. The former judge’s purported comment — videos of which are circulating online — has provided massive ammunition to Trinamool, which has tagged the BJP as “anti-women” since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Didi-O-Didi” taunt in 2021.

The BJP claimed it was a “fake video”. “We don’t agree with the existence of any such videos. This is a ploy by the TMC to release fake videos and malign the BJP. But that won’t make any difference in the elections,” BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.

The purported video of Mr Gangopadhyay, who is contesting from Tamluk, comes amid the Sandeshkhali row and the subsequent battle for the support of the state’s women voters.

“A leader who has worked as a politically-minded upholder of the legal system and then went to the BJP, has made a disgusting comment about the only woman Chief Minister of the country,” said senior party leader Santanu Sen.

Mamata Banerjee, he pointed out, is a seven-time legislator, a former Union minister and a three-time Chief Minister. Now, a remark in such poor taste has been made against her, he said. “Is this Modi’s guarantee that in the interest of politics, women will be accorded no respect?” he added.

“I cannot even repeat the kind of language Ahijit Ganguly used for our Didi. They said ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’. But when the same daughter is being disrespected, PM Modi is silent,” said the BJP’s Kirti Azad. “The cases of Unnao, Hathras, Bilkis Bano, are in front of us… This kind of disrespect can only be dished out by the BJP,” said former cricketer and BJP leader Kirti Azad.

In 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s taunt for Ms Banerjee was seen as a factor in the Trinamool’s landslide victory in the assembly election. After Congress’s Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha after his allegedly derogatory comment on backward classes, the Trinamool demanded that the Prime Minister also be disqualified over his “derogatory comments” on women.

In December last year, Union minister Giriraj Singh’s “thumka laga rahi hai” comment about Ms Banerjee shaking a leg with celebrities had infuriated Trinamool.

“It’s evident that the BJP leaders find it incredibly hard to fathom a woman in power challenging their authority. Their archaic mindset, steeped in gender biases, is blatantly on display,” the party had posted on social media.

Purba Medinipur:

After filing his nomination from the Tamluk Lok Sabha seat, BJP candidate and former Calcutta High Court judge, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, on Saturday said that he has respect for the opposition but it seems they are not very active or present in the current election race.

“I do not underestimate them (opposition), but I find that they are not on the ground. They are absent from the contest,” he said.

BJP has fielded Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay from Tamluk while TMC has fielded Debangshu Bhattacharya from the Tamluk Lok Sabha seat.

TMC’s Adhikari Dibyendu won from the Tamluk garnering 724433 votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. TMC defeated BJP Sidharthashankar Naskar who got 534268 votes. The TMC secured 50 percent.

Voting in the Tamluk Lok Sabha seat will be conducted on June 25 in Phase 6. West Bengal, which sends 42 MPs, to Parliament, is voting in all seven phases. Polling for six Lok Sabha seats in Bengal was held across the first two phases on April 19 and 26.

Polling for the remaining parliamentary seats will be held on May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the TMC won 34 seats in the state, while the BJP had to settle for just 2. The CPI (M) won 2 seats, while the Congress bagged 4.

In the 2019 general elections, the TMC dropped to 22 seats, while the BJP saw the lotus bloom in 18 seats. The Congress brought up the rear, winning just 2 seats.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)