India News | BJP Attacks TMC over Sandeshkhali Case, Says Mamata 'shielding' Shahjahan Sheikh

New Delhi, Mar 8 (PTI) The BJP on Friday attacked the opposition and alleged that the TMC government in West Bengal is "shielding" the suspended party leader Shajahan Sheikh.

Sheikh, accused of sexual abuse, land-grabbing in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali and attack on an ED team, is in the custody of CBI.

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BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "On one hand, the prime minister is sending out a message of 'Beti bachao, beti padhao', on the other hand, Mamata didi is sending out the message of 'Shajahan bachao' from West Bengal's Sandeshkhali."

"What secret does Shajahan Sheikh have that the Mamata government is afraid of coming out? Efforts have been made to prevent the National Commission for Women and the fact-finding team from investigating to save Shajahan's reputation," he said.

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Poonawalla further alleged that the Congress maintained a silence on Sandeshkhali issue despite running campaigns like "Ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon".

"They (Congress) run campaigns like 'Ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon', but do nothing for women empowerment. On International Women's Day, the entire country is questioning Priyanka Gandhi, who claims to be running a campaign for women, when will she break her silence on Sandeshkhali," he alleged.

Slamming Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Poonawalla said instead of launching campaigns and slogans, "he should appear before the ED".

"Arvind Kejriwal has been launching campaigns in Delhi but he should first answer why he isn't cooperating with the investigation. Why is he so hesitant to appear before the central agencies?" he asked.

The national BJP spokesperson alleged that instead of addressing the issues of Delhi, Kejriwal is "resorting to playing the victim and making excuses".

"Kejriwal had sworn on his children that he would never join hands with the Congress and send Lalu Yadav to jail. But today he is discussing corruption with the same people," he alleged.

He further said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to reduce the price of LPG cylinders by Rs 100 and extend the Ujjwala Yojana by one year is an important step towards women empowerment and the uplift of the poor.

"Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has placed women at the centre of all his schemes, including Ujjwala Yojana, Beti Bachao Yojana, Poshan Yojana, Ladli Laxmi Yojana and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana," Poonawalla said.

He said the central government ended the decades-old practice of instant triple talaq and granted rights to Muslim women.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)