"I've Served People": Trinamool MP Breaks Silence Over Sandeskhali Row

Drawing fire for her absence and silence on the raging Sandeshkhali issue, Lok Sabha MP and actor Nusrat Jahan has said she has "genuinely served the people" in her constituency and followed her party's guidelines. The Trinamool MP from Basirhat said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is taking all necessary steps to ensure peace on the island that has made headlines after allegations of land grab, extortion and harassment by local Trinamool leaders.

The 34-year-old MP made the remarks in a post on X. She also shared a cutout of a newspaper report that quoted Sandeshkhali residents as saying that she had forgotten them. "It is heart-wrenching waking up to such allegations," Ms Jahan wrote. She said there is a need to come together "to help create peace and not commotion".

"As a woman, as a public representative, I have always followed my parties guidelines and served the people. With the Sandeshkhali incident raging, Our Hon CM has already send Help.. and necessary steps are being taken for the welfare of the people. We are not above the law.. thus abiding by it and supporting the administration is what one needs to do. I have genuinely served the people in my constituency, in times of joy, in times of trouble.. I act in accordance with the guidelines of my party.. and I believe we must have faith in the state govt and administration,what is wrong shall always be condemned. We must refrain from targeting each other and come together to help create peace and not commotion. People's security and welfare is our top priority. Rest who says what about whom does not matter. Like I said before. I'd repeat again "STOP POLITICISING" (sic)," she said.

The news report she shared quoted Sandeshkhali residents as saying that Ms Jahan did not visit the island even once after being elected. The only time she was there was during the poll campaign ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The campaign vehicle in which she had toured the island then belonged to local Trinamool strongman Sheikh Shahjahan, who is at the centre of the massive row in Sandeshkhali.

The report quotes local women as saying that even though the MP doesn't come visiting, residents of the island travel 40 km or more to watch her movies in cinema halls. "We have prayed for her visit to the island. She had given us faith, so we waited for her, but she did not keep her word," the report quoted a woman as saying.

Main Opposition BJP has targeted the local MP over the Sandeshkhali situation. Shortly after photos of her Valentine's Day photoshoot with actor and partner Yash Dasgupta went viral, the BJP had taken a "priorities matter" swipe. "In Sandeshkhali, women are protesting for their respect. Meanwhile, the TMC MP of Basirhat is celebrating Valentine's Day," the Bengal BJP had said.

The BJP has accused the Mamata Banerjee government of shielding Sheikh Shahjahan, who is on the run after a mob of his supporters attacked an Enforcement Directorate team that went to Sandeshkhali to conduct raids against him in a corruption case.