KOLKATA: As protests against TMC MP Tapas Pal escalated over his rape remarks, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attacked the media, while President Pranab Mukherjee’s son and Congress MP Abhijit Mukherjee defended him.
“The issue is being unnecessarily dragged. Tapas has already written an apology letter and his party has pardoned him. It was a mere slip of the tongue, though it should not have happened. He will be cautious in future,” said Abhijit.
His comments haven’t, however, gone down well with the West Bengal Congress and it has decided to send him a show-cause notice for tarnishing the party’s image by defending the TMC MP.
Abhijit had earlier courted controversy when he described the women protesting the 2012 Delhi gangrape, as “dented and painted”.
Meanwhile, Mamata continued to support Tapas and tried to divert the public attention with her tirade against the “media conspiracy”. She said it was a campaign of canard against the TMC Government, which was doing good work.
“Good work is never publicised, but a small incident is being turned into a molehill and the Opposition is acting with a vengeance,” Didi said.
Without mentioning Tapas by name, she hinted that her government would never initiate any action against the MP, who in his speech said he would send his boys to kill CPM leaders and rape their women.