Magician P.C.Sorcar gets poll panel notice for Mamata comments

Magician P.C.Sorcar, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls on a BJP ticket from West Bengal's Barasat, has been slapped a show cause notice by the Election Commission for making derogatory comments against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and his Trinamool Congress rival.

Two days back, without naming the chief minister, Sorcar had said while campaigning: "She says those who have raped, they are naughty boys. I ask her, if she is raped. What will she do?"

An official in the state chief electoral officer's department Sunday said that the North 24 Parganas district magistrate, who is also the district election officer, has sent a show cause to Sorcar seeking to know why action would not be taken against him for his comments.

Sorcar had also attacked his Trinamool opponent Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who is a gynaecologist, calling her insane.

"She says a lot of things. She is a gynecologist. So she doesn't understand anything about men. I am a male. I am a psychologist. I hold a doctorate degree. I cure insane people. If she is insane, bring her to me, I will cure her."

Ghosh Dastidar termed the comments "despicable".

"I have taken it up at the administrative level. He has been showcaused as the comments violated the Model Code of Conduct for elections. This is highly condemnable," she said.

Asked about his comments, Sorcar said he had received an SMS from a rape victim's father that despite repeated please, no one was helping him. "My heart cries for such people.... But if I have done something wrong, I will rectify it."

"I am totally with the people. But it seems if somebody does something unjust, that is not wrong. However, if somebody points that out, that is wrong!"