TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee courts controversy, police complaint filed for hurting religious sentiments

Whileattacking BJP on Hathras incident, I mentioned the joke, hesaid.I have heard there has been a police complaint.

A police complaint was filed againstTrinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee after he courtedcontroversy by referring to names of Goddess Sita and LordRama while criticising the BJP over the Hathras gang-rapeincident in Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) came downheavily on Banerjee for hurting religious sentiments of theHindus.

While addressing a rally in West Bengals Howrah districton Saturday, the TMC MP had ''cracked a joke'' referring toGoddess Sita and Lord Rama while attacking the BJP on theHathras gang-rape and murder case.

A video clip of Banerjee's speech had gone viral on thesocial media.

A BJP Yuva Morcha activist has lodged a police complaintagainst Banerjee at Golabari police station in Howrah districton Sunday for hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus.

BJP national general secretary and Bengal minder KailashVijayvargiya criticised Banerjee for his comments and said itshows the ''agenda and mindset'' of the TMC.

''The Trinamool Congress always tries to appease onecommunity. This is an ugly reflection of the TMCs appeasementpolitics.

''They do not care for 70 per cent of the people of thestate, they are a government only for the 30 per cent'', hesaid.

VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal said the TMC'spolitics and polices have been unmasked by making ''derogatoryremarks against Goddess Sita and Lord Rama''.

''It seems one (Kalyan) Banerjee has augmented the sloganof 'TMC Hatao Bangla Bachao' by dragging the name of MotherSita as part of their politics,'' he said.

While reacting to the development, Banerjee said he hadshared a joke on the stage which was already viral on thesocial media.

''I did not intend to hurt anyones sentiments. Whileattacking BJP on Hathras incident, I mentioned the joke,'' hesaid.

''I have heard there has been a police complaint. I willsay whatever I have to in the court,'' he said.

The TMC leadership, however, has declined to comment onthe incident.

Banerjee, who is Lok Sabha member from Seramporeconstituency, said Monday he had lodged a complaint with theKolkata police regarding threat calls he has been receivingover the incident.