IN a letter written to the chairperson of the National Commission for Women on June 22, Jharna Das Baidya, Rajya Sabha MP from Tripura, brought to her notice the most deplorable, unlawful and unscrupulous activity of Sushma Sahu, member of the National Commission for Women which is a statutory and prestigious autonomous body established under provision of the Indian constitution.

Sushma Sahu while on an official visit to Tripura as a member of the National Commission for Women, was accommodated in the state guest house as a state guest on June 19, 2017. She held a press conference in the guest house itself on the same day. During her official visit, she was accompanied by a galaxy of women leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘Mahila Morcha’. It was mostly uncommon and unconventional to see that a ‘Mahila Morcha’ leader was beside her while addressing the press in her official capacity. She was found to have taken a brief from the state BJP president before entering into the press conference, keeping the reporters waiting. The most objectionable and unscrupulous were her derogatory remarks, activities, and manners that she displayed while addressing the press in her official capacity. She made ruthlessly slanderous campaign against the state government of Tripura and its dignified ministers on one hand and on the contrary, highly praised the BJP government at the centre on the other, all with full political motives. The local dailies of the state have covered her press meet laying importance on her derogatory remarks apparently tutored by the BJP leaders.

In her press meet, she alleged that Bijoy Murasingh, father of Payel Murasingh, a victim girl of Kukichhara under Shamukchhara village, Gomati district, got an assurance from the state government that he would be given rupees five lakhs by the state government and he should not open his mouth to Sahu or anybody about killing of her daughter. Bijoy Murasingh strongly protested against such completely baseless allegations by  Sahu against the state government. He categorically said that nobody asked him to shut his mouth and paid any money. Her remarks in the said press conference only lowered the dignity and prestige of the commission.  

During her entire tour to Tripura, except local BJP leaders, she met neither any state government authority nor any authority of the State Women’s Commission.

She was found blatantly intolerant in making interaction with the reporters while they tried to have some clarifications. The whole press meet episode was directed by her against the state government and the ruling party of the state as if she was deliberating as a BJP women leader. By doing so, Sahu totally impaired and lowered the dignity, status and image of the National Commission for Women. A member of the National Commission for Women is expected to be politically unbiased and impartial in her approach in any woman-related incident.  But to our dismay, Sahu grossly violated this norm of the commission.

Jharna Das Baidya has strongly condemned this role of Sushma Sahu and said that she has lost every reason to remain a member of National Commission for Women. Baidya demanded that she should be forthwith removed from this Commission and proceedings may be initiated against her for her quite inappropriate role during her tour to Tripura.