“Don’t regret…:” Trinamool Congress leader Akhil Giri on his remarks against woman official

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 5 (ANI): West Bengal minister and All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) leader Akhil Giri on Monday said that he does not “regret” the remarks he made against a woman forest ranger adding that TMC leader Mamata Banerjee will take cognizance of the complaint by the Forest department.

“I will not say anything. The party ordered me to resign from the cabinet, and I have tendered my resignation. I handed it over to the Chief Minister. I am a Member of the Assembly. This is the last day of the Assembly session. So, I am going there,” Giri told ANI.

Giri, who submitted his resignation under party pressure, refused to apologize to the official against whom he had made the abusive remarks.

“The Chief Minister will take cognizance of the complaint that will be made by the Forest Department. I will not speak about their complaint…I don’t regret it. Let the Opposition speak,” he said.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Soumendu Adhikari said that “atrocities and objectionable comments” against women have become a culture of the TMC.

“This is not the first time. Akhil Giri has made objectionable comments on our President (Droupadi Murmu) also. He should not have done that. The atrocities and objectionable comments on women have become TMC’s culture. They have said objectionable things about PM Modi and the Union Home Minister. It is their culture to threaten people,” Adhikari told ANI on Sunday.

In a purported video of the incident posted on X by the BJP West Bengal, Giri was seen threatening an on-duty woman forest officer.

“West Bengal Minister Akhil Giri threatened a lady Forest Officer because she was performing her duty to remove illegal encroachment in forest areas. Will Mamata Banerjee dare to throw out this Minister and put him behind bars? Will charges be filed against him for obstructing government workers and outraging the modesty of women? Let’s see if this goon is kicked inside the jail for threatening to indirectly kill and outrage the modesty of a woman,” BJP West Bengal posted on X.