Even as politicians, rights groups and intellectuals ratcheted up the demand for the arrest and expulsion of Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Paul for his rape comments, West Bengal's ruling party Wednesday appeared to have put the matter behind it following Paul's apology a day ago.

 

 The Trinamool Lok Sabha member from Krishnanagar constituency in Nadia district, Paul was caught on video tapes threatening and warning CPI-M cadres to beware of him and that he would gun them down and unleash his men to rape their women.

 

 Repeatedly using expletives to describe CPI-M activists, Paul even asked his partymen and women to prove themselves by slitting rivals' throats and killing them.

 

 The Trinamool, which sought an explanation from Paul and announced that party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will take a decision Wednesday, held a strategic meeting during the day.

 

 Quizzed by the media about the party's decision regarding Paul, Trinamool's Rajya Sabha member Sukhendu Shekhar Roy said the "matter ends" with Paul's unconditional apology.

 

 "Tapas Paul offered an unconditional apology to the members of party, women of Bengal and people of the nation in his letter. The party has accepted his apology in spirit. The matter ends there," Roy told reporters here after conclusion of the meeting.

 

 Party spokesperson Derek O'Brien too reiterated that the "matter ends with Paul's apology".  Paul, in a letter addressed to his party and the media Tuesday, sought apology terming his comments a "gross error of judgment" and "deeply insensitive".

 

 Announcing Paul's apology to the media, Trinamool general secretary Mukul Roy took pride over the party taking "strong action" within a day.

 

 Mamata Banerjee, who was initially silent on the issue, described Paul's rape remarks as a "big blunder", but blamed the media for its failure to highlight the issue which was a month old.