PM said nothing to condemn treatment meted out to Bengal CM at Netaji event: TMC leader

State minister Bratya Basu, during a press meet here, said the incident reflects the "misogynistic mindset" of certain people. 

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was present at the programme, did not utter a single word condemning the behaviour of a section of audience... This shows that the BJP has no respect for Netaji and has no idea what he stood for," he claimed. 

The chief minister on Saturday declined to speak at an event, organised to celebrate Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose''s 125th birth anniversary, after "Jai Shri Ram" slogans were raised there, in the presence of Modi. 

The TMC MLA claimed that "a dark fascist force" was trying to grab power in West Bengal, and alleged that freedom of expression would be under stake, if it gets to seize control. 

"Please don''t allow this force to take control of Bengal. It will do away with our freedom of expression. People of different ideologies are free to air their views in Bengal. That would all come to end," Basu said, after popular Bengali actress Kaushani Mukhopadhay and the chairperson of Eastern India Motion Pictures Association, Piya Sengupta, joined the ruling camp at the meet. 

"An ugly force is now out to throttle the voice of all artistes in the country. Director Anurag Kashyap and actor Naseeruddin Shah have already got a taste of it," he underlined. 

Sengupta and her daughter-in-law Mukhopadhyay said they have always been inspired by the "pro-people approach" of the TMC supremo, and vowed to serve the people of the state. 

Among others, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh was also present at the hastily called press meet. 

Two days ago, popular actor Sourav Das joined the TMC, while actor Rudranil Ghosh, who was close to the CM till recently, was seen rubbing shoulders with saffron camp leaders, of late, fuelling speculation that he might switch sides.