Kolkata, June 29 -- Amid the outcry over the Kolkata gang rape case, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday said that West Bengal need to be "free" from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), drawing parallels between the party's governance in the state and the Emergency imposed by the Congress in 1975.

Speaking during a press conference, Pradhan criticised the TMC for perpetuating a "dangerous mindset" that he claims undermines the state's educational and social fabric.

"50 years ago, an Emergency was declared to dismantle, tear apart, and disregard the country's constitution... It is disheartening that the party carrying forward that Congress culture is the Trinamool Congress. It has not yet overcome that mindset," Pradhan said.

He argue...