SC hits out at BJP youth wing leader Yogesh Varshney who put bounty of Rs 11 lakh on Mamata Banerjee

The Supreme Court on Thursday reacted sharply while hearing a plea by BJP youth wing member, Yogesh Varshney, who had allegedly put a bounty on West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Varshney’s plea to stay his prosecution in the case, was dismissed by the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. The bench, also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, refused to entertain Varshney’s request to transfer all FIRs to one court, News 18 reported. Justice Gupta further said that the statements about bounty on a chief minister’s head was a “serious matter”. “If you have the guts to threaten someone, then have the guts to face the charges too,” said the judge. [caption id=“attachment_6019691” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Mamata Banerjee. PTI[/caption] Gupta added, “You threaten a constitutional authority, put a bounty on her head and then want us to help you. We don’t hear such people.” Varshney, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), courted controversy by announcing a bounty of Rs 11 lakh for West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's head after the state police used batons to disperse a rally on 12 April, raising slogans in praise of Lord Rama on Hanuman Jayanti. “Mamata government beat up people. If someone was wearing a red shirt or a red pant, they were beaten up brutally by the police. I don’t understand… Mamata Banerjee organises Iftar party, she argues for the Muslims. I want to ask her are Hindus not human? If they had any humanity, they wouldn’t have beaten up like this. If anyone brings me her severed head, I will give that person Rs 11 lakh,” Varshney said while criticising the police action on the rally." TMC leaders had raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha and garnered support from other parties. Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bacchan had expressed anguish on the BJP leader’s remark, stating that the BJP was keen on protecting cows, but not women. However, the BJP opted to distance itself from Varshney’s comments, stating that the West Bengal government is free to take action against him in accordance with the law.