Bharati Ghosh, former IPS officer and BJP candidate for West Bengal's Ghatal Lok Sabha seat, on Saturday took a dig at Trinamool MP Deepak Adhikari aka Dev for not raising developmental issues in English in Parliament.
Reacting to Ghosh's allegation, Dev said he would not be cowed down by such criticism and added he would continue to speak in Bangla as he was a Bengali.
"I will continue to speak in Bengali (Bangla) and raise the issues in Bengali during parliamentary sessions, if I get your blessing again," he said.
Ghosh also termed Trinamool's sitting MPs -- veteran actress Moon Moon Sen, Bangla film stars Tapas Paul, Dev and actress Sandhya Roy -- as "non-performing asset" by saying they did not participate in most debates in Parliament and had a low attendance.
"Dev is a good human being and shines on silver screen. But he attended Parliament only 11 times in the last five years and had participated in only two debates," Ghose said, adding like Dev, Moon Moon Sen, Tapas Paul and Sandhya Roy were non-performers.
She wondered how will the Trinamool government serve the people with these non-performing assets. "Parliament is for English-speaking educated people. If he cannot talk in English or present his prakalpa (project) in English, he can invite me. I can do that for him," she told reporters.
Ghosh, once a favourite of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, reportedly fell from grace and sought voluntary retirement after she was transferred as Commandant of the West Bengal Armed Police's third Battalion. Her application was accepted in January 2018.
Ghosh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in February.
Dev had raised his voice for Ghatal Master plan in Parliament in Bangla. According to him, the plan has been approved, but funds are yet to be allocated.
Dev also said he has worked with Ghosh when she served the district as the Superintendent of Police and had no complaints against her.
"Yes, my attendance in Parliament was relatively less, but I tried to work for people of Ghatal with honesty and devotion. I met flood victims even leaving my sister's marriage function and offered nine trucks of relief materials," he said.
--IANS
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