Narendra Modi to visit Sandeshkhali in Mamata Banerjee turf Bengal? BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari drops big hint

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit West Bengal's Sandeshkhali, where several women have alleged sexual assault by a prominent Trinamool Congress leader and his aides, leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari said on Monday.

In an interview to India Today TV, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said that preparations are underway and the dates for PM Modi's visit will be finalised by PMO.

ALSO READ: Why Sandeshkhali in West Bengal has been on the edge over the past week

Adhikari, once a close aide of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee who joined the BJP in 2020, said ahead of his visit to the North 24 Parganas village after getting permission from the Calcutta high court.

“The permission was given on February 12 also but they imposed Section 144. Today I received a specific order and I will go there tomorrow and meet the families of the victims. Many BJP workers have been arrested, I will meet their family members,” Adhikari told news agency ANI.

“Mamata Banerjee will lose the Lok Sabha elections and that is why she is doing all this. She has not done any development work...They will not arrest (Sheikh Shahjahan) because they need goons during elections and they have given him protection,” the BJP leader, who defeated the Trinamool Congress chief in Nandigram in 2021 assembly election, said.

ALSO READ: ‘Mamata did not meet us’: Sandeshkhali women say ‘risky to live’ in village

Several women in Sandeshkhali have accused local TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh and his supporters of land grab and sexual assault. Sheikh is absconding after a mob attacked Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone there to search his premises in connection with a ration scam case.

NCW chief calls for Mamata's resignation, imposition of President's Rule

On Monday, a delegation of National Commission for Women led by chairperson Rekha Sharma had visited Sandeshkhali to meet the victims. The NCW chief called for Mamata Banerjee's resignation and imposition of President's Rule in the state.

"After speaking with women in Sandeshkhali, it's clear the situation is dire. Numerous women shared their harrowing experiences; one even reported being raped inside a TMC party office. We demand President's Rule in Bengal, which we will also include in our report," Sharma stated to PTI.

West Bengal minister Shashi Panja hit back at Sharma, saying,"Why didn't she visit Madhya Pradesh's Morena, where a pregnant woman was gang-raped and set ablaze? Why didn't the NCW respond when female wrestlers protested against BJP MP's alleged sexual misconduct? Why did the commission ignore complaints of atrocities against women in Manipur?"