PM Modi calls Sandesh Khali victims, BJP Basirhat picks Rekha Patra

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called Sandeshkhali, a sexual harassment victim from Bengal and the BJP candidate from Basirhat Lok Sabha seat, and asked about her Preparation for the vote.

In a phone conversation with Rekha Patra, the Prime Minister asked her about the mood of the people and called her “Shakti Swaroopa” (Shakti incarnate). Ms Patra told the Prime Minister about the plight of the island’s people, who have accused Trinamool Congress party leaders of harassment.

The prime minister began the conversation in Bengali, telling Ms Patra that she had shouldered a huge responsibility. Ms Patra told him he was “like God” to the women of Sandesh Khali. “We feel like Ramji is with us,” she said. The Prime Minister replied that he was grateful to the women of Sandesh Khali for wishing him.

He then asked her how the people of Sandesh Kali reacted to her choice as the BJP candidate.

In her reply, Ms Patra referred to Trinamool strongman Sheikh Shahjahan, who was detained by the Enforcement Directorate over an alleged mob attack on agency officials. “We haven’t been able to vote here since 2011. We need proper security so we can vote. We appreciate your support.”

Ms Patera also said some women on the island staged protests after she was chosen as a candidate. “They sent us a message saying they did everything as instructed by the Trinamool and promised not to repeat the past mistakes. There is no animosity. We will work for anyone,” she said.

The Prime Minister praised her and wished those who protested against her well. “The BJP has done a great job in making you its candidate,” he said.

Ms Patra said she was confident of public support. “I come from a poor family. My husband works in Chennai. We struggle to make ends meet. I wanted to do something to ensure that people get jobs here and they don’t have to leave the state,” she said.

The prime minister said he was confident of her victory. “You are Shakti Swarupa and you send such a powerful man to jail. Together we will fight for the honor of women, not just in Basirhat but across Bengal. I fully support it You,” he said.

“Bengal is the land of Durga Puja and you are the embodiment of that Shakti. It is not easy to raise the voice of Sandesh Kali women. We feel that Nali Shakti of Bengal will bless us this time. People are grateful for Trinamool Congress is upset by the government,” he said.

“The Prime Minister promised to support us. Sandesh Khali was very happy after I was selected as the candidate,” Ms. Patra told the media after speaking to the Prime Minister.

Allegations by Sandeshkhali residents against Trinamool leaders of land grabbing, extortion and sexual harassment have become a key talking point in the upcoming elections. Eager to keep the situation boiling over, the BJP fielded Ms Patra as its candidate from the Basirhat seat, to which Sandesh Khali belongs.

The title of ‘Shakti Swaroopa’ given to Ms Patra by the Prime Minister was also a joke on the Shakti debate between the BJP and the Union of India.

Reacting to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks that the opposition was against the country’s “Shakti” (meaning power), Prime Minister Modi said the Indian alliance wanted to destroy Shakti, which is worshiped in many parts of India.

The prime minister’s counterattack referred to Shaktism, a goddess-centered tradition in Hinduism widely followed in several parts of India, including Bengal.

The Prime Minister said every woman in the country is an embodiment of ‘Shakti’ and his government has always prioritized ‘Nari Shakti’ or ‘Women Power’. In response, Mr Gandhi accused the prime minister of distorting his remarks.

The Prime Minister’s Nali Shakti Plan also aims to attack Mamata Banerjee’s critical support base among women voters, which she has cultivated over the years through women-centric welfare schemes.