A purported video in which Tamluk Bharatiya Janata Party candidate and former Calcutta high court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay was heard wondering about "the amount at which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is getting sold," triggered a row with the TMC labeling it as BJP's guarantee of disrespecting women, while the saffron party raised doubts about the clip's authenticity.
However, the authenticity of the video could not be verified.
The comments triggered a spate of condemnation from TMC leaders who demanded that the Election Commission should take note of it.
"It is shameful that a former judge who is now a BJP candidate uses such words to malign a woman chief minister. This is the guarantee of the BJP that women under BJP rule will be insulted in this way," TMC leader Santanu Sen said.
Responding to the TMC's assertion, the BJP claimed it was a "fake video".
"We don't agree with the existence of any such videos. This is a ploy by the TMC to release fake videos and malign the BJP. But that won't make any difference in the elections," BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.
