BJP MP writes to Speaker, seeks action against Nusrat Jahan over 'false information' on her marital status

BJP MP Sanghmitra Maurya said that while Jahan is entitled to her personal life and nobody should encroach upon it, her recent media statement about her marriage means "she deliberately provided false information in Parliament"

Nusrat Jahan

The controversy over Trinamool Congress MP Nusrat Jahan's "contradictory" remarks concerning her marital status refuses to die down. Now, BJP MP Sanghmitra Maurya has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, demanding that the matter be referred to the Ethics Committee for detailed "investigation for her illegal and ethical conduct" and appropriate action taken against her.

Maurya described her membership of the House as "non-est". In her letter to the Speaker on June 19, Sanghmitra Maurya, who is BJP MP from Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, attached the Lok Sabha profile of the Trinamool Congress MP where she has mentioned her husband's name as Nikhil Jain. "An appropriate action be intimated under relevant rules of Lok Sabha procedure and/ or the matter be referred to Committee on Ethics for detailed investigation for her illegal and ethical conduct," Maurya said in the letter." "Her media statement regarding her marital status controvert her oath for Lok Sabha membership wherein she took oath as Nusrat Jahan Ruhi Jain. This effectively renders her membership as non- est in law," the letter added. 

Maurya's letter said that Jahan in her oath ceremony on June 25, 2019 pronounced her name as Nusrat Jahan Ruhi Jain and she was also dressed as a newly-wed person. "In fact, when she was attacked by a section of Islamists for marrying a non muslim, wearing sindoor, MPs across party lines defended her. Her reception, as per media reports, was attended by CM Mamata Banerjee," the BJP MP wrote. 

Maurya said that Jahan is entitled to her personal life and nobody should encroach upon it but her recent media statement about her marriage means "she deliberately provided false information in Parliament". "She deliberately provided false information to Lok Sabha Secretariat thereby indulging in unethical, illegal and immoral conduct. She cheated her electorate by giving false information and this brings bad name to parliament and its members," Maurya alleged.

West Bengal BJP vice president Jay Prakash Majumdar had earlier this month accused Jahan of making "contradictory" remarks pertaining to her marital status and said the law should take its own course."This is a huge contradiction. She is a member of parliament. She is a lawmaker and she is not obeying the provisions. The law should take its own course. Even in parliament, she declared her marital status in the 'married' category," Majumdar had said.

He had referred to Nusrat Jahan's remarks about her separation from businessman Nikhil Jain in which she said the question of divorce does not arise as the "ceremony" was never valid under Indian law. Nusrat had said in the statement that since they got married abroad, in Turkey as per Turkish Marriage Regulation, her marriage is legally not valid. "Since it was an inter-faith marriage, it requires validation under Special Marriage Act in India, which did not happen. As per the court of law, it is not a marriage, but a relationship or a live-in relationship. Thus, the question of divorce does not arise," she said.