Nusrat Jahan, Trinamool MP and actor, on Wednesday said her wedding ceremony with businessman Nikhil Jain in Turkey two years ago, is "invalid".
Amid recent reports of their strained relationship, she said their separation happened long ago and that she did not speak about it as she wanted to keep her private life to herself.
"Being on foreign land, as per Turkish Marriage Regulation, ceremony is invalid. It was an interfaith marriage, it requires validation under Special Marriage Act in India which didn't happen. As per court of Law, it's not marriage but relationship or live-in relationship," Ms Jehan, 31, said in a statement, reported news agency ANI.
"Thus, the question of divorce does not arise."
In June 2019, Ms Jahan and Mr Jain had a wedding ceremony in the picturesque Turkish town of Bodrum. "Towards a happily ever after with Nikhil Jain," she had tweeted after the wedding.
Stressing that her marriage is "not legal, valid and tenable", thus, was not a marriage at all in the eye of law, the MP from West Bengal's Basirhat said it was she who bore the expenses for her sister's education and her family's well-being "from Day One".
"I have made my own identity by my sheer hardwork; thus I would not allow anyone not related to me to share the limelight or a title or followers, based on my identity," Ms Jahan said in her seven-point statement.
Ms Jahan had won the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Basirhat by over 3.5 lakh votes. She was among the 17 women who were fielded by Mamata Banerjee's party that year and was a huge crowd-puller at poll rallies.
(With inputs from ANI)
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