Tapas Pal, 55, is an award winning actor.
The Trinamool Congress will take a decision tomorrow on action against its MP Tapas Pal, whose shocking comment on rape has provoked widespread outrage and, said a senior party leader, caused "deep anguish" to party chief Mamata Banerjee.
"Tapas Pal's comments have deeply pained Mamata Banerjee. The party will take a decision on the issue tomorrow," said the Trinamool's Mukul Roy. Another Trinamool leader Derek O'Brien said, "A chief minister as sensitive as Mamata Banerjee, I can tell you...she is hopping mad." (
Tapas Pal's Rape Remark: Who Said What )
Mr Pal, a two-term MP from West Bengal and a popular Bengali actor, could be clearly heard bragging of his ability to order attacks against his party's political opponents in an address to followers in May filmed on a smart phone.
"If CPIM (Communist Party of India-Marxist) tries to kill and intimidate our workers... I will not spare them. I will let loose my men to rape your women," he said. (
Trinamool Leader's Shocker: 'Will Ask My Boys to Go and Rape CPM Women)There have been demands that Mr Pal quit. The head of the National Commission for Women said his position was now untenable. "He should resign. This is a very unfortunate statement. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should take action against him, he should be suspended," said the commission's head Mamata Sharma.
Brinda Karat, CPM leader, told reporters that the comments were "completely unacceptable" and Mr Pal "must be suspended" from the Lok Sabha.
Mr Pal's wife Nandini said, "I feel terrible about it. Whatever he has said, it is not right being a member of the parliament," she told reporters in Kolkata. But she also said that "nobody is trying to find out what provoked him to speak like that." (
For Trinamool MP Tapas Pal's Rape Threat, Wife's Apology and Defence)India brought in tougher laws last year against sex offenders after the fatal gang-rape of a student in New Delhi in December 2012, but they have failed to stem the tide of violence against women across the country.
Mamata Banerjee's government has faced much criticism for West Bengal's poor record on crime against women.
Tapas Pal, 55, is an award winning actor. His daughter Sohini Pal too is an actor in Bengali films.