Naziya Elahi Khan Seeks Action on Kharge and Mahua Moitra Row
Kolkata, October 27: BJP leader Naziya Elahi Khan visited Kalighat temple on Tuesday and offered prayers to Goddess Kali. Addressing the media afterwards, she spoke on security and law and order in West Bengal and reacted to a series of political developments, including Mallikarjun Kharge's comment on PM Narendra Modi, the dispute involving Mahua Moitra and Nishikant Dubey, and the presence of police at Kunal Ghosh's residence.
Khan praised Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for the security steps being taken in the state. She said the current government was handling law and order in line with constitutional principles. She also demanded tough action against opposition leaders in the political disputes now dominating the state's discourse.
After her visit to the temple, Khan said the Chief Minister had put comprehensive security measures in place for her. The arrangements she noticed after arriving at the airport, she said, reassured her that her safety was being looked after. She said she had received a threat, and that a name linked to the terror network of Shahzad Bhatti had come up on WhatsApp in relation to her. That is why, she said, she went directly from the airport to the temple of Maa Kali. There she prayed for the long life and safety of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Khan said protecting patriotic women is the responsibility of the government and expressed appreciation for the state government's efforts.
On the encounters in West Bengal, Khan drew a comparison with the Yogi Adityanath government's approach in Uttar Pradesh. She recalled that bulldozer action, encounters and the handling of law and order in Uttar Pradesh were earlier widely appreciated, and that similar action was now visible in Bengal. She accused the previous Mamata Banerjee government of questioning the character of rape survivors and of targeting them by linking them to love affairs or pregnancy. She said that within five months of the new government, a notable change had come in the working of the police and administration. Calling for strict action against those accused of rape, she commended the present law and order system.
Reacting to Mallikarjun Kharge's remark on PM Modi, Khan said the Congress's language did not surprise her. She argued that a party which describes Lord Ram as imaginary cannot be expected to maintain dignified speech. The Prime Minister, she said, holds a constitutional office, and any improper remark about him touches on the dignity of the Constitution and democratic institutions. She demanded that FIRs be lodged against Kharge across the country, adding that such comments amount to a violation of the dignity of a constitutional post and of the democratic order.
On the Mahua Moitra and Nishikant Dubey controversy, Khan said that during Mamata Banerjee's tenure she had moved the Calcutta High Court against police inaction on her complaint about Moitra's objectionable remarks on Goddess Kali. The police, she said, had not acted appropriately on that complaint. She said Moitra's remarks were not in keeping with the decorum expected of a woman and an Indian citizen. She backed Dubey's decision and sought the clubbing of his earlier cases against Moitra for a joint hearing, along with strict legal action.
Asked about the police reaching the house of Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh, Khan said there was nothing to be surprised about. She recalled that during Mamata Banerjee's government, 71 FIRs were registered against her in a single day and a large number of police personnel arrived to arrest her. She said that in that matter she had raised the Kanwar Yatra issue in Delhi, though the FIR had been filed in West Bengal. She also referred to Ghosh's past experience in jail and said he should not have difficulty going through the legal process. She added that he should either provide a full account of what he wrote on social media or face legal action.