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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi on Sunday criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for suggesting women avoid going out after dark, arguing that the state is failing in its primary responsibility to punish perpetrators.
Speaking at a press conference, Trivedi said, "On one hand, we have a central government that has worked tirelessly for women. On the other hand, we have a government in West Bengal, where the Chief Minister says that women should not go out after dark. On the other hand, we have a government in West Bengal where the conviction rate for crimes against women is one of the lowest in the country. This means that after a crime is committed, it is the government's responsibility to punish the perpetrator. While the conviction rate is 22.5 percent across India, it is only 3.5 percent in West Bengal." Trivedi continued, "I would like to cite just one example: our party's candidate is Ratna Debnath, the mother of the victim of the heartbreaking incident at RG Kar College, and the son of the MLA accused in that incident is contesting against her. I have one question for the Trinamool Congress. The Bharatiya Janata Party named its manifesto "Bharosa ka Sankalp". Why did the Trinamool Congress name its election manifesto "Ishtahar?" Under what mentality was the word "Ishtahar" adopted," Trivedi added. Ratna Debnath, mother of the RG Kar rape victim is contesting from the Panihati Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas. The seat has emerged as one of the most closely watched seats this election, as she is facing TMC candidate Tirthankar Ghosh, son of the five-term sitting MLA. Polling for Phase I of the Assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on Thursday, with West Bengal recording a significantly higher voter turnout of 91.78 per cent, according to the Election Commission of India. The high turnout figures underline an active electoral exercise as polling drew to a close amid tight security arrangements across constituencies. The polling for the second phase will be held on April 29, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. (ANI)
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