Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 30 (ANI): Amid mounting protests over recent gang rape cases in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh on Sunday hit back at Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's remarks against the TMC government, asserting that the state remains one of the 'safest places for women' in the country.

Responding to Pradhan's demand to 'free' West Bengal from TMC rule, Ghosh accused the Union Minister of ignoring atrocities against women in BJP-ruled states.

'Tell Dharmendra Pradhan to talk about crimes against women in places like Unnao, Hathras, Prayagraj, and Delhi first... Police take action in West Bengal. Social crimes have lessened in the state. This is the safest state for women,' the TMC leader said.

The remarks came hours after Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan alleged that West Bengal under TMC rule was facing a governance crisis similar to the Emergency imposed in 1975. Drawing a parallel, Pradhan said the TMC was carrying forward the legacy of the Congress-era Emergency by eroding constitutional values.

'50 years ago, an Emergency was declared to dismantle, tear apart, and disregard the country's Constitution... It is disheartening that the party carrying forward that Congress culture is the Trinamool Congress. It has not yet overcome that mindset,' Pradhan said during a press conference.

He slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led government for presiding over a 'dangerous mindset' that, he claimed, is undermining the educational and social foundations of the state. 'Bengal has been a laboratory for women's progress for many years... Whether it is RG Kar Medical College or a law college, it reflects their mindset, even though the head of the ruling party is a woman. What kind of statements are coming from their leaders? This is a very dangerous mindset in a republic,' Pradhan said.

The BJP Lok Sabha MP's remarks come amidst ongoing protests and political turmoil in West Bengal following the gang rape of a law student at South Calcutta Law College on June 25, as well as the earlier rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College in August 2024, which had fuelled public outrage and drawn sharp criticism of the TMC's handling of law and order in the state. The Union Minister emphasised the state government's responsibility for campus security, a point of contention as the TMC and opposition parties clash over accountability. 'Security (of educational campuses) is the responsibility of the state government... Bengal used to be the centre of education. Now it needs to be freed from TMC,' he asserted.

Meanwhile, Kalyan Banerjee in the latest row said, 'Yes, incidents do happen. Not all men are like this, but some have a perverted mindset. These perverted men then come out on the streets, hold protests and demand the death penalty.' (ANI)