No democracy in West Bengal under Mamata: Nadda

BJP national president J.P. Nadda on May 12 targeted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for banning the film The Kerala Story, alleging that there was no democracy under her rule in West Bengal.

BJP national president J.P. Nadda on May 12 targeted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for banning the film The Kerala Story, alleging that there was no democracy under her rule in West Bengal.

He was speaking at an event to launch a book, titled Democracy in Coma: Silenced Voices of Women Victims in Bengal, authored by Sonali Chitrakar, Vijeta Singh Aggarwal, Shruti Maitra and Monika Agarwal Uniyal. Mr. Nadda said that Ms. Banerjee had banned The Kerala Story despite the fact that the film had “nothing to do with any religion or State”.

“But Ms. Banerjee, one of the champions of democracy, has banned it in West Bengal. There is nothing left in the name of democracy in West Bengal. It is indeed a democracy in coma in the State,” Mr. Nadda said. Directed by Sudipto Sen, The Kerala Story shows how some women from Kerala were forced to convert to Islam and recruited by the terror group Islamic State (IS). The film, released on May 5, has kicked up a political storm, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi endorsing it while Opposition parties accuse the makers of spewing hate.

The book launched on Friday is about post-Assembly election violence in West Bengal. “These are not stories, but factual incidents have been quoted in the book,” Mr. Nadda said, adding that he himself was also a victim of this political violence. “I was also a victim.. The first attack was carried out on me when I had gone to Diamond Harbour,” he said.

Mr Nadda said that there was a need to bring change in Bengal, which was possible with the strength of the people. “We do not talk about revenge. We talk about change. There is a need to bring change there and we can do it with your strength,” he said.