Kolkata, Jul 1: In an insensitive comment, TMC MP Tapas Pal has threatened to kill opposition CPI-M workers and have their women raped if a single ruling party worker was attacked.
The controversial comment triggered an uproar and sparked condemnation by opposition parties with CPI-M demanding that the Lok Sabha Speaker take suo motu cognisance of Pal's outburst and disqualify him.
"If any CPI-M man is present here. Listen to me. If you ever touch any Trinamool Congress worker or their families at Choumaha, you have to pay for this. Don't try to act smart with me. I am smarter than you. I am not from Kolkata," Pal said in a video of his speech at Choumaha village in Nadia district which surfaced on a vernacular TV news channel and went viral.
"I am from Chandannagar. Leaders are created by workers. I am also a goonda. I will shoot you guys if a Trinamool Congress worker is ever attacked. If you have the guts, then stop me. Keep this is in mind," the actor-politician warned.
"Earlier, you guys have bullied me on various occasions. If you insult the mothers and daughters of Trinamool workers. Then I won't spare you. I will let loose my boys in your homes and they will commit rape. I will teach each of you a lesson," Pal said.
Pal, however, denied that he spoke about rape. "What I said was I will tell my workers to 'raid'."
Trinamool national spokesperson Derek O'Brien said the party doest not endorse Pal's statement which was "insensitive" whatever be the provocation.
"The statements made by Mr Tapas Pal are utterly insensitive. The party does not in any way endorse what he said many weeks ago, which is being played out on TV channels today," he added. O'Brien said Pal's speech was made in May.
CPI-M leader Brinda Karat said the Lok Sabha Speaker should take immediate steps to cancel Pal's member. Her party colleague Md Salim said Pal's threat showed the extent of "lawlessness" in TMC-ruled West Bengal.
Kiran Bedi, an activist, said the MP should be booked by police and arrested. Pal's comment was also condemned by the Congress and the National Commission for Women(NCW).
Senior TMC leader and Education minister Partha Chatterjee said that the party did not approve of the MP's statement.
"We never approve use of such words. He should have exercised restraint before using such words. Even if the words used by him were out of excitement, it is not justified; not at all for an MP. ..
"But it has to be seen under what circumstances he has used such words. The opposition must have created such a situation after which there has been such an outburst."
"I will certainly talk to him when I meet him and try to ascertain why did he made such comments," Chatterjee said.
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