Kolkata (PTI): A day after Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee's controversial remark on the gang rape of a law student, senior party leader and MLA Madan Mitra on Saturday said that the incident would not have happened had the student taken a couple of friends with her or informed people before going there.

"This incident has sent a message to girls that if someone calls you when the college is closed, don't go, nothing good will come of it. If that girl had not gone there, this incident wouldn't have happened," Mitra said.

"If she had informed someone before going or had taken a couple of friends with her, then this wouldn't have happened. The one who committed this dirty deed took advantage of the situation," he said.

On Friday Banerjee said, "If a friend rapes a friend, how can you ensure security? Will the police be there in schools? This was done by students to another student. Who will protect her (victim)?"

The TMC distanced itself from the comments of the two leaders and termed them as their personal statements.

"The remarks made by MP Kalyan Banerjee and MLA Madan Mitra concerning the heinous crime at South Calcutta Law College were made in their personal capacities. The party unequivocally disassociates itself from their statements and strongly condemns the same. These views do not reflect the position of the party in any manner whatsoever," it posted on X.

Immediately, Banerjee, the Serampore MP questioned whether the party was "indirectly supporting" those leaders who were "shielding the criminals".

He also distanced himself from the party's statement.

"I completely disagree with the post made by AITCofficial on X. Are they indirectly supporting the leaders who are shielding these criminals? Mere academic statements won't bring any real change unless immediate action is taken against those leaders directly responsible... I also wish to clearly distance myself from those who are encouraging or protecting these criminals," Banerjee stated on X.

Mitra also took to X, saying that his statements were "misled by a motivated group" to malign him.

"...my statement has been totally misled and misused by a motivated group whose basic intention was to malign the image of our party AITC by wrongly focusing my statement to serve their own purpose," he said.

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Bengaluru: Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka launched a scathing attack on MLC Dr. Yathindra, demanding that he retract his controversial statement comparing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to the late Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. Ashoka urged Yathindra to apologize to the people of Karnataka if he had even a shred of conscience and any respect for the Mysuru royal lineage.

In a strongly worded social media post on Sunday, Ashoka stated, “Comparing Siddaramaiah to Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar is nothing short of absurd. Where is Nalwadi, who was bestowed the title of ‘Rajarshi’ by Mahatma Gandhi himself, and where is Siddaramaiah, who has stooped to being a puppet in the hands of fake Gandhis for the sake of power?”

He continued his critique by contrasting the enduring legacy of Nalwadi, remembered fondly by Kannadigas for his people-centric development, with what he termed as Siddaramaiah’s failure to manage Karnataka’s economy, burdening every household with debt.

Ashoka highlighted several stark differences, while Nalwadi built Mysore University over a century ago, Siddaramaiah is shutting down nine universities due to lack of funds. Nalwadi famously sold his family’s gold to build the KRS dam, whereas Siddaramaiah is accused of grabbing 14 sites meant for the public. Nalwadi established Bhadravati Iron & Steel Plant, Sandalwood Soap Factory, and Mysore Paper Mills. In contrast, Ashoka claimed Siddaramaiah's governance drove away industries, investors, and entrepreneurs. Nalwadi pioneered reservations for the backward classes long before it became mainstream. Siddaramaiah, Ashoka alleged, is reducing social justice to a gimmick by sticking labels on doors in the name of surveys.

While acknowledging Yathindra’s emotional attachment to his father, Ashoka emphasized that comparing Siddaramaiah to a visionary like Nalwadi was “laughable, baseless, and a gross insult” to the late king.

In his concluding remarks, Ashoka slammed the government for ignoring farmers’ needs despite an early monsoon. He accused the administration of being caught up in internal power struggles and negligence, forcing farmers into despair. “This government will not be spared from the curse of the farmers,” he warned.

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