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A baby bump has added to the controversy concerning the relationship of Bengali actress and Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Nusrat Jahan with her estranged husband Nikhil Jain.
The 31-year-old, who joined politics in 2019, revealed last Saturday that she is pregnant by posting a photograph of her baby bump on social media. Her co-actors, including Bengali actress Srabanti Chatterjee, posed alongside.
The question that is now dogging the film and political worlds in India is whether the baby's father is Nikhil or actor-politician Yash Dasgupta, with whom Nusrat is allegedly having an affair.
Reports of Nusrat dating Yash surfaced ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections in April. The rumours took a backseat after Yash, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, lost his bid for the Chanditala constituency. Reports also claimed that Nusrat and Yash are expecting a child.
Nikhil, according to Bengali media reports, has said that the child is not his and is not aware of the pregnancy. He has also claimed that the couple have not been together for the last six months.
The controversy over the couple's relationship blew up earlier last week when Nusrat issued a statement saying her marriage with Nikhil was never valid as an inter-faith marriage in India has to be registered under the Special Marriage Act.
"Our separation happened long back, but I did not speak about it as I intended to keep my private life to myself," she said.
The actress married the Kolkata-based businessman in June 2019 in the picturesque Turkish town of Bodrum. The wedding ceremony was conducted according to the Turkish Marriage Regulation.
"Towards a happily ever after with Nikhil Jain," she had tweeted after the wedding.
However, she said in her statement last week: "Being on foreign land, as per Turkish Marriage Regulation, ceremony is invalid. It was an inter-faith 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. Thus, the question of divorce does not arise."
The MP from West Bengal's Basirhat also accused Nikhil of mishandling her money and alleged that his family members have held back the jewellery given to her by her parents.
"The one who claims to be 'rich' and 'been used by me' has been taking money from my account by accessing my bank accounts illegally and by illegitimate means at odd hours of the night, even post-separation," she said. "I have already taken this up with the concerned banking authority and a police complaint shall be filed shortly."
Nikhil then came out with a statement that he had pressed Nusrat several times to get their marriage registered in India, but she avoided the requests. "Since August 2020 during the shooting of a film my wife's behaviour started changing towards me for reasons best known to her," he said. "During our stay together, I requested her on a number of occasions to get the marriage registered but she avoided my requests.
"Any money transfer made by her from her account to my family account was repayments of the loan which I gave in good faith. Considerable amount is to be paid. The allegations made by her are all baseless and derogatory and untruthful."
The issue snowballed into a political controversy when BJP leaders alleged that Nusrat cheated the people by showing that she is married.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya posted a video showing her oath-taking ceremony in Parliament where she is recorded as married.
He tweeted: "TMC MP Nusrat Jahan Ruhi Jain's personal life, who she is married to or who she is living in with, should not be anyone's concern. But she is an elected representative and is on record in the Parliament that she is married to Nikhil Jain. Did she lie on the floor of the House?"
West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said: "She asked for votes showing she is married. She created the impression of a married Bengali woman and won the election. She has cheated the people."
Nusrat won the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat by defeating the BJP's Sayantan Basu by more than 350,000 votes.
The Trinamool Congress termed the issue "personal". Its general secretary Kunal Ghosh said: "Nusrat Jahan is a professional. Some issues regarding her personal life have come to the fore but that has nothing to do with the party. We are keeping a close watch on the development. BJP should not do politics on this, else they would be in trouble."
Indo-Asian News Service
"During our stay together, I requested her on a number of occasions to get the marriage registered but she avoided my requests."
- What husband Nikhil Jain has alleged
