New Delhi: A group of women's rights activists today met Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and demanded strong punitive action against Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal's including his expulsion from Lok Sabha over his derogatory remarks.
The delegation also submitted a memorandum to the Speaker demanding stern action against Pal.
The MP, also a popular Bengali actor, was caught on camera purportedly threatening to kill opposition CPI-M workers and have their women raped.
“We demand that the video-clippings be examined and stringent punitive action including his expulsion from Lok Sabha be considered,” said Jagmati Sangwan, General Secretary of All Indian Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA).
The memorandum said that the contents of the speech showed that Pal was “deliberately provoking his supporters against political opponents and thus trying to disturb law and order”.
“This speech is all the more dangerous because in the district of Nadia, post-poll violence is still going on. At least two murders of members of the political Opposition have taken place. There are numerous cases of attacks on them.
In this situation, a hate-speech of this kind by a member of the Parliament is likely to create more terror and violence in the are,” the memorandum said.
The activists also expressed doubt whether the state administration will punish Paul.
“We have little hope that his party or the state government will punish him for his action in spite of a face-saving show-cause notice which his party has apparently sent him,” they said in the memorandum.
A statement by the delegation said the Speaker assured them that she will do whatever possible within her powers in the matter.
