Dilip Ghosh sparks row; wonders why no deaths in Shaheen Bagh despite chilly winter

Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh yet again sparked a row by questioning why women and children weren't dying at the Shaheen Bagh protest in Delhi against the CAA despite freezing temperature while people lost their lives waiting in line to withdraw money from banks after demonetisation of high-value currency notes in 2016.

"What surprises me is that people were dying after standing in line for two to three hours. But now women and children are sitting in temperatures as low as 4-5 degrees Celsius but nobody is dying. What nectar do they have? I am astonished! What is their incentive (for protesting)?" Dilip Ghosh said at an event organised by the Kolkata Press Club on Tuesday.

He also questioned the source of funding at Shaheen Bagh and Park Circus Maidan protests. Hundreds of Muslim women are demonstrating against the CAA and the proposed nationwide NRC at the Park Circus Maidan in Kolkata for 22 days. "I wonder where the money is coming from? The truth about this will surely come out in the days to come."

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Shoot like dogs

This is not the first time the Kharagpur MP has made such incendiary comments. Earlier, citing the example of the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government's resolve to recover the cost of damage done to public property during violent anti-CAA protests from the rioters responsible, Ghosh had threatened to shoot those involved in damaging public property in West Bengal. He was soon booked by the police after a local TMC leader lodged an FIR against him.

"Uttar Pradesh government had not only booked such people but also lathi-charged and shot them. Similarly, we will also shoot, lathi-charge and book whoever destroys public property in the state," Ghosh had said addressing a public gathering.

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Shaheen Bagh protests

Protesters opposing the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and a planned pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC), have been sitting on protest at Shaheen Bagh for over a month now. The agitators said they will continue their agitation until the government decides to rollback the contentious law and scrap any NRC. The dharna has drawn a large crowd of people across religious communities and massive media attention which has made Shaheen Bagh a sort of symbol in the wider anti-CAA agitation.

(With agency inputs)

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