TMC MP Derek O'Brien
Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O'Brien on Sunday tore into claims made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at poll rallies in West Bengal, saying two videos that have come out on the Sandeshkhali issue have exposed the 'conspiracy to malign' the state.
On a day when Modi addressed four rallies in support of the BJP's Lok Sabha poll candidates in West Bengal, O'Brien shared a fact-check report on X and called the prime minister the 'Lyin King'.
"We often fact check Narendra Modi.... 'The Lyin King' just ended his third and fourth speeches. So much of deceit, falsehood and hate, that even our fact check meter broke down," the TMC leader said in a post on the microblogging platform.
"Two Sandeshkhali videos exposed BJP's conspiracy to malign Bengal and humiliate women. Concocted by Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikhari. Bribed and forced women to sign a blank paper and file false rape complaints. BJP shelters molesters: Brij Bhushan Singh, Prajwal Revanna. Unnao, Kathua, Hathras," the document shared by O'Brien read.
Multiple videos have surfaced on social media, purportedly claiming that a local BJP leader made several women from Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal sign on blank papers that were subsequently filled up as sexual assault complaints against TMC leaders.
PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
Dismissing Modi's claim of infrastructure development in eastern India, O'Brien said, "848 railway projects are delayed for over 3 years. PM Gramin Sadak Yojana-III has a completion rate of just 51 per cent. Of the 774 routes under UDAN-3, half could not initiate operation. Out of 44 projects in development, 31 projects had reportedly not received any funds for ports."
Taking a jibe at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre, he said it has the 'world's largest washing machine'.
"BJP has the world's largest washing machine. Praful Patel, Suvendu Adhikari, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Narayan Rane, Ajit Pawar, Ashok Chavan, Arjun Singh. 9 out of 10 opposition members who joined BJP got reprieve."
"Selective targeting of opposition parties by ED-CBI. 95 per cent cases against opposition leaders. 0.4 per cent conviction rate," the TMC leader said.
Countering Modi's claim that it is difficult to follow one's faith in West Bengal, he pointed out that Durga Puja is celebrated for 10 days in the state.
"Durga Puja celebrated over ten days, internationally renowned and acknowledged by the United Nations. Saraswati and other pujas are held across the state including 2,000 schools. Eid is celebrated, Kolkata Christmas festival," O'Brien said.
On the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), he said the rules under the law were notified after five years and called it an election gimmick.
"Hundreds of Bengali Hindus have committed suicide in the last six years due to citizenship related harassment. This law will affect ALL communities. Out of 40 lakh people whose citizenship is under threat, 28 lakh are Bengali Hindus, 10 lakh are Bengali Muslims, and 2 lakh are Hindus from states other than Bengal and Assam," O'Brien said.
He also claimed that targets have not been met under schemes, such as the Prime Minister Awas Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission and Ujjwala, and that funds for TMC-ruled West Bengal under the National Food Security Act were withheld for not displaying Modi's face at ration shops. Under Ujjwala, more than 1.2 crore households bought no refill cylinders, he claimed.
Addressing back-to-back rallies in West Bengal on Sunday, Modi accused the TMC of indulging in 'vote-bank' politics and alleged that its goons are threatening the tormented women of Sandeshkhali, where allegations of sexual abuse have surfaced against local leaders of the state's ruling party.
The prime minister alleged that under the TMC's rule, Hindus have turned into second-class citizens in West Bengal and asserted that "as long as Modi is here, no one can repeal the CAA".