Madan apologises for rape remark, Manas sparks row with ‘small incident' comment
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Kolkata: Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra on Tuesday replied to the show-cause notice issued to him by Trinamool and apologised for his remarks on the gang-rape at a south Kolkata law college last week.
Creating a fresh controversy, however, state irrigation minister Manas Bhunia made a comment about "small incidents" in Bengal.
Speaking at a blood donation drive organised at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, Bhunia said: "The terrorists who killed 26 of our countrymen haven't been arrested yet. But even a small incident in Bengal creates a huge uproar. Incidents take place everywhere. Husbands are killing wives, and wives are pushing husbands off cliffs.
These are crises of society. But our chief minister handles all situations with motherly care.
"
He added: "Don't pay attention to what anyone is saying. Move forward with Mamata Banerjee's ideals."
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As he left the programme, the minister was asked what "small incident" he was referring to and replied: "All of it."
BJP came down heavily on the minister's comments, with the party's Bengal co-minder Amit Malviya saying Trinamool netas were trying to earn "brownie points" by trying to "normalise a rape".
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"Now, State Irrigation Minister Manas Bhunia, another face of this depraved regime, brushed off the atrocity as a "small incident" and urged party workers to ignore it and move forward — drawing strength from Mamata Banerjee's silence and tacit approval," he wrote on X.
Calling this "the culture of Trinamool", Bengal BJP general secretary Agnimitra Paul said, "Whether it is the Hanskhali girl, or Kasba woman, they have blamed the victim instead of the criminals."
Later in the day, Bhunia held a press conference and said: "My words are being distorted. If necessary, I will take legal action. I did not mention the place at all. I never called that crime a minor one. I was talking about incidents in the health sector."
TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh, too, said the minister's comments were twisted by a section of the media.
In a post on X, Trinamool said: "BJP4India has launched a full-scale smear campaign.
An excerpt from Shri @ManasB_Official's speech has been maliciously taken out of context, misquoted, and circulated to mislead viewers... Shri Manas Bhunia has issued a strong clarification, unequivocally condemning the incident and exposing BJP's desperate, deceitful narrative. BJP should know that defamation has consequences.
No matter how loud the lies, truth will prevail."
The party also uploaded a 3-minute clip of the minister's entire speech.
Earlier, Mitra responded via WhatsApp to the show-cause notice sent by Trinamool president Subrata Bakshi. He wrote that he would remain eternally loyal to the Mamata Banerjee.
"As long as I live, I will be with Trinamool Congress. I apologise and express regret if any of my comments have caused discomfort to the party. However, I request the party to review the complete or unedited video of my statement before making a comprehensive judgment and analysis," he wrote.
Mitra had said the gang-rape "sent a message to all girls" that if someone called on a day when college was closed, "don't go".
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