House condemns BJP leader who offered bounty on Mamata’s head

NEW DELHI : Parliament on Wednesday strongly condemned a statement by a BJP youth wing leader who announced a ₹11-lakh bounty on West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s head, with the Centre saying the state government is “free to take legal action” against him.

Yogesh Varshney, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, triggered a controversy after saying Banerjee does not allow processions and fairs during Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti though she organises Iftar party and always supports Muslims.

The issue was raised in both the Houses by Trinamool Congress even as all major political parties and the government condemned the statement.

In the Rajya Sabha, deputy chairman PJ Kurien said the state government can register an FIR and take action. Raising this issue during Zero Hour in the Upper House, Trinamool member Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said the BJP activist publicly described the CM as a “demon” and announced the bounty.

Roy asked the House and the government to condemn the incident, saying “a constitutionally elected CM has been described as demon”. He said the Centre was trying to “unleash a reign of terror” in West Bengal in the name of religion and other things.

Minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: “I strongly condemn such type of statements (read Varshney’s remarks). State government is free to take appropriate legal action on this issue”.

BSP supremo Mayawati said “BJP should not just condemn the statement but should also take action.” Other opposition parties also supported the TMC.