Wardha, Apr 11 (IANS): In a huge embarrassment to Wardha's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ramdas Tadas, his estranged daughter-in-law on Thursday accused his family of harassment, assault, and torture, and is challenging him in the Lok Sabha elections as an Independent.
Pooja Pankaj Shendre-Tadas, along with her 17-month-old son, flanked by Shiv Sena-UBT Deputy Leader Sushma Andhare, narrated her plight with the Tadas family for over three years at a media meet this afternoon.
She contended that she was forced into marriage allegedly to save her husband Pankaj R. Tadas from a rape charge nearly three years ago, but after that, she "was tortured, beaten with an iron rod, thrown out of a flat where she lived, and even denied food on several occasions".
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming to Wardha on April 20 for election campaign. I plan to meet and appeal to him for justice as a daughter of the country," Pooja Tadas said.
On the harassment allegedly perpetrated by the Tadas family, she said that she was confined to the flat and physically "used" like a commodity, but after the son was born, her husband disowned him and he, along with her father-in-law Ramdas Tadas, asked her to conduct a DNA test to prove the child’s paternity.
"I have been undergoing such abuses, humiliation in the name of a DNA test for our baby, and other forms of harassment… If Ramdas Tadas, as an MP, cannot give justice to his own daughter-in-law, then what will he do for the people of society? I want PM’s intervention to help me," she demanded.
Pooja Tadas claimed that when she had visited Ramdas Tadas’ home once, she was abused and assaulted with an iron rod, and after she was thrown out of the flat which the Tadas family sold off, she had no place to live.
On his part, Tadas, who is contesting the LS polls for a hat-trick win, denied all the allegations and said: "I have no relation with my son (Pankaj) or his wife (Pooja), they don’t live with me", adding they got married without informing him.
Pooja Tadas countered this by asking that if he had disowned his son (Pankaj), then why is he still living in Tadas’ house while kicking her out along with her toddler son?
Intervening, Andhare said that the BJP talks of things like women’s reservation and empowerment, the Modi Parivar, etc, then why is the daughter and child of a family member of the BJP Parivar being denied justice?
Tadas said that the issue of his son’s marriage was very old, but “it is being raked up now by the Opposition parties to make political capital” in the LS elections. His son Pankaj Tadas claimed that he was "honey-trapped" into the whole matter and there are half a dozen police and court cases pending on different aspects, including a divorce case in which his estranged wife is not cooperating.
The issue erupted in the public domain over two years ago when the Maharashtra State Commission for Women Chairperson Rupali Chakankar tweeted a video, and the police provided security to Pooja Tadas.
Pankaj Tadas alleged that two politicians were involved in defaming his father just before the elections, such attempts were made even before the 2019 LS polls, and even the latest episode is a conspiracy of the Opposition parties to mar his father (Ramdas Tadas)’s prospects.
Pooja Tadas has decided to contest the Wardha LS seat as an independent against her father-in-law, and Andhare said she will support her as a distressed woman crying for justice.