A day after the West Bengal assembly unanimously passed the anti-rape bill, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of exploiting the death of a woman doctor for political gain and claimed she had “failed to act” to prevent the crime.

On X, Rijiju shared a letter sent to the Bengal CM in 2021 when he was the law minister, highlighting that Parliament had enacted a “stringent law” in 2018 aimed at tackling heinous crimes such as rape by establishing fast-track special courts (FTSC) to expedite the trial and resolution of rape and POCSO Act cases.

He alleged in the letter that despite numerous communications in 2019, 2020, and 2021, the Trinamool Congress government did not consent to the centrally sponsored scheme under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018.

Rijiju said the Mamata Banerjee government’s involvement was sought in setting up FTSCs to speed up the handling of pending rape and POCSO cases in West Bengal. The letter noted that 123 FTSCs, including 20 ePOCSO courts, were designated for West Bengal, but the state government’s consent was never received.

Rijiju expressed his disappointment, stating that the West Bengal CM neglected her “most sacred duty” to provide swift justice for women and children.

“This is an extremely serious matter. Please don’t make it political issue. Very strong laws are necessary but strong actions are more important. When the letter was written, media had carried this news extensively, but West Bengal Govt failed to act!” he said in a post on X on Wednesday.

The Centre’s response followed the West Bengal assembly’s passage of the ‘Aparajita Woman and Child Bill (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) Bill 2024’ on Tuesday. The bill proposes capital punishment for rape convicts if their actions result in the victim’s death or leave her in a vegetative state, and life imprisonment without parole for other offenders.

It also introduces a 21-day deadline for completing rape investigations, down from the previous two months, and establishes a special task force with women officers leading investigations.

The bill also proposes amendments to the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, and the POCSO Act 2012 to enhance punishments and streamline the framework for the rapid investigation and trial of violence against women and children. It stipulates that any fines imposed should be “fair and reasonable” to cover medical expenses and rehabilitation for victims or their families, as determined by the Special Court, and should be paid within a specified period.

The bill passed with support from opposition BJP MLAs, although Suvendu Adhikari accused Mamata Banerjee of introducing it to “divert attention” from public outrage over the brutal crime. The BJP legislators raised slogans and demanded the chief minister’s resignation. Mamata Banerjee retorted, “What if I raise slogans against the prime minister and the home minister for the same reasons you are raising slogans against me?”

“Crime rates against women in states like UP, Gujarat are abnormally high. While tortured women in West Bengal are getting justice in court. West Bengal was not consulted before passing BNS; we wanted discussions on it after the new government formation,” she said.

The bill now requires approval from the Bengal Governor and the President.

The state government convened a special two-day session to introduce and pass the bill, prompted by widespread protests after rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.