BJP vs TMC Over Sandeshkhali Sting: Mamata Says 'Bangla-Birodhis' Orchestrated Conspiracy

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday accused the BJP of orchestrating the incidents of Sandeshkhali, where allegations of sexual abuse against Trinamool Congress leaders have surfaced, to malign the state.

The party on Saturday released a video on social media, claiming that the footage vindicated its stand that the BJP was behind the Sandeshkhali episode. "I had for long stated that the BJP has been trying to malign the image of Bengal by orchestrating the Sandeshkhali incident. The sting operation revealed the real face of the 'Bangla-Birodhis' as they tried to manipulate emotions of my mothers and sisters.

On the 13th of May, the people of Ranaghat shall ensure that the Bangla-Birodhis are ousted from Bengal!" Banerjee posted on X. In the purported video, a man claimed to be Gangadhar Kayal who is a BJP mandal president in North 24 Parganas district's Sandeshkhali, was heard saying that the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly "Suvendu Adhikari is behind the whole conspiracy".

PTI did not verify the authenticity of the video posted by the TMC. The local BJP leader was also heard saying that Nandigram MLA "Adhikari himself had planted guns at a house in Sandeshkhali, which was later shown as the seizure by central agencies".

Former BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said the alleged "sting video will not have any impact" on the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal "It was not the BJP but the common people of Sandeshkhali, who protested in the streets against atrocities on women by local TMC leaders," said Ghosh, the BJP nominee for the Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha constituency.

Banerjee had also said the "shocking Sandeshkhali sting shows how deep the rot is within the BJP". Adhikari, while reacting to the allegations, had said the video was doctored, and Kayal lodged a complaint to the CBI alleging that it was morphed and created by using artificial intelligence.