KOLKATA: West Bengal Minister Firhad Hakim has sparked controversy after referring to BJP leader Rekha Patra as "maal" while speaking about her loss in the Lok Sabha elections to the Trinamool Congress in Basirhat.
The comment has drawn strong criticism from the BJP, with Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari labelling the remark "outrageous" and calling for action against the minister.
Hakim remarked during an event, where he also took aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of politicising the Sandeshkhali issue.
Referring to Modi, Hakim said: "Before the (Lok Sabha) elections, a bearded man came to Bengal. Do you remember his name? His name is Narendra Modi. He came to Bengal and expressed fake concern for the mothers and sisters of Sandeshkhali. The BJP also announced a candidate from Sandeshkhali. Where is that candidate? She (Rekha Patra) lost... hero maal (a loser). BJP loses elections. It only knows how to file cases."
Hakim's remarks have led to an uproar, with Rekha Patra condemning them as "shameful" and "an attack on all the women of Sandeshkhali who had protested." Patra said, "Firhad Hakim has verbally attacked PM Modi and me. It is shameful."
The BJP has demanded swift legal action, with Suvendu Adhikari arguing that the remark was demeaning not only to Patra but also to her entire community.
"Rekha Patra, other than being a woman, belongs to the SC Poundra-Kshatriya community. This is demeaning not only towards her but also offensive towards her entire community," Adhikari tweeted.
Agnimitra Paul, another BJP leader, also criticised Hakim, asserting that his comments reflect the Trinamool Congress government's attitude towards women. Referring to Hakim as the "right hand" of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Paul said, "'Maal' is a very cheap, sleazy word... a very disrespectful word towards women, and I am sure that not only Hakim, all the MPs, MLAs, and the party members of TMC think that the women of Bengal are 'maal,' which is 'bhogya vastu'. We are not very shocked because this is the way your government has been treating us."
Earlier this year, Sandeshkhali gained national attention when a group of women launched fierce protests against suspended TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan, a local Zila Parishad member, and his associates over allegations of land-grabbing and sexual exploitation.
Rekha Patra, who led these protests and filed the first sexual assault complaint, later contested the Lok Sabha election in Basirhat as a BJP candidate but lost to TMC's Haji Nurul Islam.
In response to the controversy, the National Commission for Women has announced it will send a team to investigate the issue.