The Trinamool Congress got embroiled in a controversy on March 28 after it published the personal banking and contact details of the BJP‘s Sandeshkhali candidate Rekha Patra on its official X handle, claiming that she is a beneficiary of the West Bengal’s government Swastha Sathi scheme.
“Caught red-handed! @BJP4India’s MP candidate from Basirhat, Rekha Patra, plays the ultimate game of hypocrisy, enjoying the benefits of Smt. @MamataOfficial ‘s schemes while aligning herself with Delhi’s JOMIDARS (landlords),” the TMC posted on X.
The State’s ruling party posted the phone number of the 30-year-old BJP candidate as well as her bank account details and names of her family members. “PM @narendramodi, the next time you call her, don’t forget to inquire about her Swasthya Sathi card. It might help you understand how our leader’s brainchild, Swasthya Sathi, surpasses the failed Ayushman Bharat scheme,” the TMC said.
Leaking sensitive data
The remarks evoked a strong reaction from the BJP leadership, which urged the Election Commission of India to ensure that the personal data of all residents of West Bengal is safe with the State’s government, and is not being leaked or misused by the ruling TMC.
“In a bid to denigrate the protesting women of #Sandeshkhali, TMC stoops to a new low and officially leaks sensitive government data, including personal details of Rekha Patra, BJP’s candidate from Basirhat. TMC has to take the blame for any eventuality,” BJP leader and co-incharge in West Bengal Amit Malviya posted.
Mr. Malviya said that the card for the State’s Swasthya Sathi health insurance scheme, referred to by the TMC post, is as good as defunct. “The healthcare facilities in West Bengal, under Mamata Banerjee, are abysmal, forcing lakhs of people from Bengal to seek medical care in other States. Besides, a petulant Mamata Banerjee, has not allowed Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi’s Ayushman Bharat to be implemented in West Bengal, denying benefits to crores of people,” he added.
Keeping Sandeshkhali outrage alive
Leader of the Opposition in the State Suvendu Adhikari also came to the defence of Ms. Patra, noting that the Swastha Sathi scheme was not a personal scheme of Trinamool Congress leaders. He said that the TMC had insulted a Dalit woman from West Bengal by sharing her personal details.
There has been much interest in political circles about the candidature of Ms. Patra, a village woman from Sandeshkhali Block II who has raised allegations against local Trinamool leaders. The BJP has fielded her from the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency despite no past political experience in a bid to keep the Sandeshkhali issue alive during the general election campaign in the State.
Allegations of land grabs and sexual assault at Sandeshkhali have become a major political issue in the State over the past few weeks. On Tuesday, the Prime Minister spoke to Ms. Patra over telephone, calling her ‘Shakti Swaroopa’.
