Dev’s rape analogy draws widespread criticism

The 31-year-old actor, the highest paid actor in the Bengali film industry, is also one of the favourites of Trinamool chief and CM Mamata Banerjee. He is seen sharing stage with Mamata at most of party’s cultural and political events.

The “rape” analogy drew immediate reactions from various circles with many cultural personalities and intellectuals condemning it. “I am not too familiar with this film personality. What he has said is highly insulting to women,” said academician Miratun Nahar.

Meanwhile state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said, “It proves the political immaturity and insensitivity of this TMC aspirant but the chief minister Mamata Banerjee who had pushed him into this field was more immature and insensitive.”

In the same interview, Dev said though politics was new to him, he did not take it for granted and was serious about it. He said a majority of youngsters lacked faith in politics and politicians and they didn’t vote, and added he would try to influence them to vote.

TMC MP Satabdi Roy came out in support of Dev, saying the actor is new in politics and therefore must have made the comment inadvertently. “It is a very delicate issue and that is why it attracted all the attention. He is young and new in politics and I am sure he didn’t mean it that seriously,” she said.

Nominations of two TMC candidates cancelled

New Delhi: IN more embarrassment for the ruling party in West Bengal, nominations of two of the seven Trinamool candidates to contest Lok Sabha elections in Delhi have been cancelled. Nominations of Banshidhar Mishra from West Delhi and Harinath Ram from Northwest Delhi were cancelled because of errors in their forms.

A dejected Mishra told The Indian Express that the utter mismanagement in the party had forced him to submit his nomination form on the last day and that it was the last minute rush that had caused one of the 10 proposers from the constituency to write his father’s name instead of his own in the form. “They gave us the symbol very late on March 21, one day before the last date for filing of nominations. I can understand that it is a new party but there was a terrible lack of management, there was little guidance from the party. All of us were on our own. I met the SDM and he was gracious enough to grant me an hour so that I could bring the person. But even that could not be arranged,” Mishra said.

According to Trinamool sources, the candidature of Harinath Ram was cancelled because there were errors in Form 26 which is attached to the affidavit that a candidate files detailing, among other things, his or her educational background, assets and criminal cases if any.