Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday stated the Bharatiya Janata Party will create UP-like “anti-Romeo squads” in West Bengal to guard ladies, reigniting an issue over the teams that a number of politicians and activists have accused of thuggery and invasion of personal areas. All “Romeos” from Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress will be put behind bars, the BJP chief additionally stated at an election rally in Hooghly district.
Accusing chief minister Mamata Banerjee of operating a “corrupt” and “anarchist” authorities, her UP counterpart stated, “West Bengal has always been a land of culture. It has been the land of the revolution for India’s freedom struggle. It is unfortunate to see an environment of anarchy in Bengal. Today, I would like to assure you all that after May 2 when the BJP will form the government, we will create Uttar Pradesh-like anti-Romeo squads in Bengal to safeguard the interests of our sisters and daughters. We will put all TMC Romeos behind bars.”
The UP chief minister’s phrases intensified the smash-mouth debate that has been the characteristic of the rancorous marketing campaign by each events for the continuing eight-phase meeting polls in West Bengal, with the BJP seeking to unseat two-term chief minister Mamata Banerjee in the politically essential state. Five extra polling days stay: April 10, 17, 22, 26 and 29. The votes will be counted on May 2.
Escalating his assault on Mamata Banerjee’s alleged appeasement politics, Yogi Adityanath stated, “It was shocking to see that the TMC supported those who have created mayhem across Bengal during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). However, in Uttar Pradesh we have acted sternly against such anti-socials. In my state, we put up hoardings with photographs of rioters and confiscated their properties. But in Bengal, Didi (Banerjee) can’t afford to take action against the rioters because of vote-bank politics.”
What are ‘anti-Romeo squads’?
A crackdown on “Romeos” — a time period loosely used for molesters — was a pre-election promise of the BJP in UP in 2017. Yogi Adityanath requested the police to implement it days after he took oath because the chief minister of the state in March that yr.
The groups had been shaped to cease males giving undesirable consideration to ladies in Uttar Pradesh, notably close to faculties, faculties, and different public locations.
As per a senior official in the chief minister’s workplace in Uttar Pradesh, every squad contains two policemen, a male and a feminine, of varied ranks (constables, head constables, ASI and SI). Most squad members often maintain watch in their respective areas in plain garments. They can let off harassers with warnings, penalties and in some circumstances they inform the offender’s mother and father. In severe circumstances, the place bodily assault is concerned, the officers can provoke prison circumstances as per legislation.
The transfer had triggered controversy after some individuals complained that they had been being unnecessarily harassed in public locations. This prompted CM Adityanath to intervene and request squad members to behave sensibly. Several activists have stated that the teams are nothing however a ruse to impose restrictions on ladies’s mobility.
When Mamata hit out at Yogi throughout 2019 Lok Sabha polls
On May 17, 2019, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee hit out on the Yogi Adityanath authorities for allegedly harassing younger {couples} in public locations.
While campaigning throughout the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Diamond Harbour, South 24 Parganas district, she stated, “I am liberal on this because it may be possible that a boy and girl can also be just good friends. Even in case of an affair, what is the problem? Even my nephew married a girl with whom he was having an affair when he was studying in Delhi.”
Her assertion drew combined reactions. While some stated it was her political technique to woo first-time voters, others supported her, sustaining that public show of affection in ‘liberal Bengal’ is frequent and by no means seen as a criminal offense.
Reactions to Yogi’s assertion from Bengal
A famend creator and Indologist, Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri, termed Yogi Adityanath’s remarks ludicrous.
“Harold Joseph Laski (an English political theorist and economist) had said that in a democratic fight most of the people who win are ‘stupid’. They don’t believe in democracy. They believe in ‘rajtantra’ (monarchy). They talk about ‘anti-Romeo squads’ but what about Bhima (the second of the Pandavas) who married Hidimba? Was he a ‘Romeo’? What about Arjuna (the third Pandava brother) and Chitrangada (a warrior princess who became Arjuna’s wife)? Was he a ‘Romeo’?” he stated.
Terming Bengal a spot of liberal-minded individuals, Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy stated, “First of all there is no question of the BJP coming to power in West Bengal. Secondly, for his ‘anti-Romeo squads’, Bengal will come out with anti-Yogi Adityanath squads soon.”
Another TMC MP, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, stated the individuals in Bengal are progressive in their outlook and imagine in ladies’s emancipation. “We believe in modern techniques of policing and therefore we have set up 68 women police stations,” she stated. “We have zero-tolerance on crimes against women and there are fast-track courts in the state. We don’t need his (Yogi’s) regressive ideas.”
Professor Suranjan Das, vice chancellor of Jadavpur University, stated, “I can only say that I value individual liberty to the fullest as our democratic right. When I am talking about individual life and individual liberty then it means it should be within the existing norms of the Constitution.”
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