Moitra reacts to Giriraj Singh's 'thumka' remark on Mamata; Trinamool MPs stage protest

NEW DELHI: Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra on Thursday lashed out at the "misogyny" of the BJP and Union Minister Giriraj Singh over the latter's 'Thumka' remarks for her party leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Calling Singh a 'Besharam (shameless) Minister', Moitra said that the BJP party cannot digest the success of an independent woman.

Moitra said, "This 'Besharam (shameless) Minister who can talk like this about a woman chief minister tells about the pathetic situation our country is in. All BJP ministers and their MLAs are misogynists. They are patriarchal and they dislike women. They cannot digest a woman's success especially those who are successful without taking any man's support."

"He is such a liar. He used the word 'Thumke lagana' then he said I've not said these words. That is the problem with the BJP. Every time they open their mouth and their lips move, it is to lie," the Trinamool MP said. Asked if the party is demanding any apology on the issue from the Union Rural Development Minister, Moitra said, "What to expect from a Besharam (shameless) Minister."

The controversy erupted after a video surfaced on social media where Giriraj Singh said Minister Mamata Banerjee should not do 'thumkas' as her State is not facing a good situation on employment and economic fronts largely due to her ill governance.

At the inauguration ceremony of the 29th Kolkata International Film Festival held on Tuesday, Mamata Banerjee had joined Salman Khan Sonakshi Sinha, Mahesh Bhatt, Anil Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, and others to dance on the stage. TMC had posted a video of Singh making the 'thumka' dig on social media platform X, "Giriraj Singh's attempts to backpedal on his derogatory remarks against Mamata Banerjee are not just feeble but outright dishonest.

This video evidence shows him to not just be uttering the words "thumka" twice but also making gestures that leave no room for misinterpretation."

"His denial is another textbook example of BJP's strategy to engage in shameful conduct and then brazenly defend it, regardless of overwhelming evidence," the Bengal ruling party added. Meanwhile, Singh rejected the allegations made by Trinamool Congress and said that he used the word 'Jashn' and not 'Thumka'.

"You can see my tweet, I have said that Mamata Didi, the state that is suffering from corruption and where the rights of the poor are being snatched, you're making 'Jashn' there. Is saying 'Jashn' similar to 'thumka'. The people of TMC are trying to raise this issue to create confusion in people. This is my right to say that there's poverty, unemployment and corruption and the CM was present in the Film festival," Giriraj Singh said.