West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee has thrown another round of verbal lashes at intellectuals criticising the alarming rape rate in the state and calling them promoters of pornography.
The latest of the series of Bannerjee's atrocious statements comes in the wake of the growing resentment against the state government's lackadaisical handling of the sensitive issue.
As West Bengal continues to reel under women-related crimes, Bannerjee and her band of Trinamool Congress (TMC) men have been dodging responsibility with the CM blaming her usual targets - the CPI(M) and the Maoists, for the situation.
Banerjee's remark of linking talk-show guests with pornography came up during Burdwan's Galsi election meeting on Thursday.
"Eminent people who dress up and appear on talk shows every day to discuss rape with great relish, many of them are associated with pornography," she said. "They don't work for the society but only for money."
"There are some news channels that work for the CPM. Talk shows are organized on these channels. And the so-called intellectuals and social workers who participate, they insult our mothers and sisters. They insult our brothers too. It is because of them that young people who were unaware of several things are now spoilt."
"These people claim they are social workers, but they have never done any social work in their lives. They discuss rape and gangrape on talk shows for money," said the CM.
Her fiery outburst is the second consecutive one following Wednesday's statement at Kamduni "Now, they are even blaming me for rape. Ami naki rape korte gechhi... Tao jodi ekta chhele hotam (As if it was I who went to rape... As if I were a man)" she said.
Banerjee, who had gone to visit the family of a raped and murdered girl also made known the imminent threats to her life for which she blamed again the opposition - CPI(M) and Maoists. Also, added to the threat list is a Bengali media house and its journalist.
"It was a journalist from a media house who instigated the CPM cadres on the spot to organize an agitation and prevent the security personnel from providing me the necessary cover. Even if they manage to kill me, the CPM won't succeed in returning to power," she had said at Kamduni.
Banerjee has mostly been in the spotlight over the years for her unruly comments and insensitive approach to the state's escalating crime rates against women.
