“If Sandeshkhali women want to meet PM, we will make arrangements”: Bengal BJP chief

Sandeshkhali has come into limelight after local people made serious allegations against Trinamool leaders.

New Delhi:

Determined to put the Mamata Banerjee government on the backfoot over the Sandeshkhali issue, the Bengal unit of the BJP has said they may arrange a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and women from the island during his visit to Bengal next month. The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the Trinamool Congress-ruled state next month for several party programs, including a meeting of the BJP’s women’s wing.

Bengal BJP president and MP Sukant Majumdar has said that the Prime Minister may address a rally on March 6 in Barasat, which falls under Sandeshkhali district. Majumdar said, “Today, we learned that the Prime Minister will visit the state on March 6 and address a women’s rally in Barasat. If the sisters and mothers of Sandeshkhali want to meet Modi, we will definitely arrange it. ” According to a PTI report.

However, top BJP sources said the Prime Minister is visiting Bengal only for a day and has no plans to meet the women of Sandeshkhali as of now.

Sandeshkhali, an unnamed island in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas, has come into the national spotlight after the BJP accused local Trinamool leaders of sexually harassing women on the island. When NDTV visited Sandeshkhali and spoke to residents, many of them accused local Trinamool leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his associates of land grabbing and extortion. Some of them alleged that Shahjahan’s associates would extort money received from them under state and central welfare schemes. The powerful man has been missing for over a month after a mob attacked an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team that had gone to raid his house in a corruption case.

The BJP, now the main opposition in Bengal, has accused the Mamata Banerjee government of suppressing the issue and trying to protect Sheikh Shahjahan. The Trinamool chief responded by accusing the BJP of inciting unrest on the island.

The allegations have also prompted investigations by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and the National Human Rights Commission. While the Scheduled Tribe panel visited the island today, the NHRC has said it will appoint a team to find out the facts.

The Sandeshkhali issue has reached the doorstep of the judiciary, with the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday approving BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s visit to the island and pulling up the state government for its failure to arrest Shahjahan so far.

“We have seen complaints, women of the area have raised issues, some land has been captured. This person (Sheikh Shahjahan) cannot run away. The state cannot support this. In the suo motu case, we will ask him to surrender here.” He cannot disregard the law,” Chief Justice TS Sivaganam said on Tuesday. He added, “If a person can hold an entire population hostage for ransom, the ruling government should not support him. He is just a representative of the public. He is bound to do good for the public.”

State police said a total of 17 people have been arrested following the allegations. While Shahjahan’s close aides Uttam Sardar and Shibu Hazra have been taken into custody, Shahjahan is still absconding. Police have said they are also setting up camps on the island so that local residents can lodge complaints of land grabbing and extortion.