Amid the row over incidents in Sandeshkhali where allegations of sexual abuse against Trinamool Congress leaders have surfaced, the ruling party has released a video on social media, claiming that the footage vindicated its stand that the Bharatiya Janata Party was behind the episode.
In the purported video, a man claimed to be Gangadhar Kayal who is a BJP mandal president in Sandeshkhali, was heard saying that the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly “Suvendu Adhikari is behind the whole conspiracy”. The video also states that women of Sandeshkhali were given Rs 2,000 each to lodge complaints of atrocities.
While Adhikari said the video posted by the TMC was doctored, Kayal lodged a complaint with the Central Bureau of Investigation alleging that it was a morphed and edited video. The central agency is probing into the incidents on an order of the Calcutta High Court.
“The entire Sandeshkhali incident was preplanned. The BJP had scripted it well. The truth has been exposed. I have been saying this for a long time…,” TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister said at an election rally in Nadia district.
News Arena India did not verify the authenticity of the video posted by the TMC.
“I never thought the politics of Bengal would stoop so low to get votes…. We have been saying from day one that a shameless attempt was made to malign Bengal ahead of the elections,” said TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
Responding to the TMC’s allegations, Adhikari said, “It is a fake and doctored video. It seems that the TMC sensed defeat (in the election) and is trying to divert attention. There have been hundreds of complaints by women of Sandeshkhali.”
“It can be seen that the same (footage) has been made using my face and the voice has been moduled using Artificial Intelligence (AI) so that it can mislead the public at large,” the BJP mandal president said.
Abhishek claimed “BJP mandal president had confirmed that it was his voice. However, after pressure from party higher-ups, he is now invoking the AI theory,” he added.
Referring to the remark of the BJP Lok Sabha candidate Rekha Patra that the content of the video is concocted, the TMC national general secretary said she should file a defamation suit against her own mandal president.
Abhishek, further, said the TMC working committee should have taken a little more time before suspending Shahjahan Sheikh and two other TMC leaders from the party who were accused of committing atrocities on women in Sandeshkhali.
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