The movie ‘Spiderman’ has a wonderful dialogue “With great power, comes great responsibility”. All of us endorse it but forget it altogether when it comes to following it. Recently, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) M.P. kicked a storm by his haughty and irresponsible comment of sending his men to kill those who threatened his party-men and rape their women. I feel it is a sad day for womanhood, democracy as well as our Parliament. What sort of people are we electing to formulate rules and regulations for us! Someone who bears no responsibility of his deeds and actions can’t take responsibility of thousands of people in his or her constituency. Tapas Pal, the actor-cum-MP who uttered these great words, seems to win over his party volunteers by giving them a sense of security of being there with them. Or, did he think he was still acting in a movie, trying to encourage his warriors with his great inspiring speech. How the crowd cheered for him after his rape-remark is utterly disgusting too. Was the crowd happy that for the assurance of such style of justice or was it happy to get an opportunity to rape, flex muscles and prove dominance!

Is he just a party leader now? Once someone is elected a Member of Parliament, he is the caretaker of the entire constituency. How then is this act justified and why he shouldn’t be punished! Why shouldn’t he be charged for  his open threats to a group. Most important, why shouldn’t he be booked for derogatory statements on woman, showing them as nothing more than a medium for vengeance. Doesn’t it reflect the typical male chauvinist attitude of the MP when he should have risen above many petty human feelings while delivering his speech!

His wife offered an apology with a note that the backdrop should be known. Mrs Nandini Pal thinks this is enough to justify his husband’s statements. No backdrop can justify rape threat. If a woman can’t understand this, it is a pity and I feel sorry for my fellow citizens.

Its surprising that his other MP colleagues have nothing to say. Its shocking that TMC supremo Ms Mamata Banerjee has nothing more to say except that she has been saddened. And that she can’t kill him for this. Well Mamatadi, no one is asking you to kill him even though he has killed the essence of an MP and ashamed the womankind. Being a woman you had only this to offer in the name of justice. But then, it is futile expecting anything from her, considering the way she has handled many other issues in West Bengal. She craves for power, but not the responsibility! Mamatadi! responsibility comes by default, with power. No one can deny it or escape it!

-piyush KAVIRAJ