Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Locket Chatterjee on Friday said she "respects" senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Saugata Roy for his "woman CM" remark.
"I respect him for this statement. This is exactly what we were saying. Other TMC members should also speak truth," Chatterjee told news agency ANI.
On Thursday, Roy said it is a "matter of shame" if crimes against women take place in a state where a woman is the chief minister and there should be zero tolerance against such incidents. Not a single such incident should occur in a state helmed by a woman chief minister, he said.
Roy, who was speaking at a programme in North 24 Parganas, said, "Crimes against women are unacceptable. It is a matter of shame for all of us even if a single such incident against women is reported in the state which is helmed by a woman chief minister. We should have zero tolerance of crime against women".
His comment comes days after a minor girl died after being allegedly gang-raped by the son of a ruling TMC panchayat leader at Hanskhali and Calcutta High Court handed over the investigation into it to the CBI. The court has also directed that investigation into four recent rape cases in different parts of the state will be done under the supervision of senior IPS officer Damayanti Sen, who is at present a special commissioner of Kolkata Police.
Meanwhile, Roy's comment drew sharp reactions from within the ruling TMC, which wondered whether having a male chief minister "justifies crime against women."
Reacting to his comment, party MP Satabdi Roy said, "I don't think what Sougata Roy said is right. Does the chief minister want such incidents to occur? All we can say is that such incidents are shameful."
"What does he mean by women chief minister? Does having a male chief minister justify the crimes against women? The state government has taken all necessary action to control crime against women," she said.
