Actress-turned-politician Nusrat Jahan was elected as Member of Parliament from the Basirhat constituency on a TMC ticket in May 2019. From being absent for the oath-taking ceremony in parliament due to her destination wedding, to announcing that she is not even married while having registered herself as Nusrat Jahan Ruhi Jain in parliament, to having a baby with fellow actor and BJP candidate Yash Dasgupta, the TMC MP has only been in the news for controversy around her public life.

Adding to her racy past, the MP has now appeared in an ‘item song’ for a Bangladeshi music video that has gone viral. The MP can be seen looking suitably sensuous in three changes of glamorous costumes while mouthing lyrics praising her own figure, complexions and looks. Dressed as a peacock, she encourages others to dance as well. 

The song premiered last month, and can be estimated to have taken around one month to shoot and finalize. While we understand that Jahan is an actress and all these are part of her profession, what she seems to be forgetting is that she is also a Member of Parliament and regardless of any other profession one holds, serving the people of her country is paramount. 

The actor-turned-politician known for skipping the parliament was served a notice by the Trinamool Congress for missing an MPs meeting called by the TMC national secretary Abhishek Banerjee on December 7, 2021. Witnessing the absence of Jahan, Banerjee decided to issue a notice to her for breaking party discipline.

This is not the first time Jahan has revealed her absolute disregard for political activities in the state or actions relating to the service of people. During the lockdown in April 2020, when the people of Bashirhat had staged a protest because they had no food, Jahan, totally oblivious to the plight of her people, was busy making dance videos on Tik Tok.  

When the state was battling twin disasters, the outbreak of Covid-19 and the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan, Jahan was invited to attend the review meeting in North 24 Parganas district’s Basirhat area. Prime Minister Modi, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and other state officials were also attending this meeting. However, when Jahan’s then-partner, Nikhil Jain was not allowed to enter the premises as he had no reason to be there, a fuming Jahan decided to skip the meeting altogether.

Basirhat has seen an exponential rise in rape cases in recent years. As per a report published on February 4, a housewife was raped by a dalal (broker) in Basirhat; he was aiding her in crossing the border illegally and reaching Bangladesh. Then, a woman was gang-raped by while returning from a New Year’s picnic. In July 2020, a 28-year-old BJP-supporting tribal woman from Jahan’s constituency was reportedly dragged from her house at night, gang-raped and abandoned by a water body. The victim and her family claimed she was assaulted by TMC cadre.

While Nusrat Jahan plays the feminist astutely while defending her relation with Nikhil Jain and talking about her son with actor-cum-BJP politician Yash Dasgupta, there has been not a word from the MP on these appalling cases of violence against women in her constituency. 

Murtis of Hindu deities were smashed to the ground in signature Bangladesh-style by miscreants in Basirhat right ahead of the Rash Utsav. Busy with her shootings, Nusrat Jahan maintains silence, apathy and feigns ignorance. 

Over the past two years, her disinterest in serving the people of West Bengal as their elected representative has become obvious and apparent beyond embarrassment. Her hurry to walk out of the ongoing election campaigns ahead of the West Bengal elections after screaming that she doesn’t give so much time even in the CM’s campaigns exposes the lack of sensitivity she has for the state’s polity. Her absolute indifference to the growing crime rate in her constituency and empathy for the victims is shocking as well.