Campaign risks?

Actress-turned-politician Nagma is dismissing reports that claimed that she was “harassed” during a campaign trail in Meerut.

Video grabs from the event, that are now circulating on the Web, clearly show MLA Gajraj Sharma leaning close to the actress with his arm around her and the actress in turn pulling away from his grip and then climbing into a jeep.

A source from the location said, “It was an instantaneous reaction. Party members said the MLA was whispering something in her ears. But she sure wasn’t interested to hear what he wanted to say. If it was something that important, why such a sudden, instinctual response from Nagma? Clearly, she didn’t like the way the MLA approached her. But Nagma is insisting that Gajraj Sharma is in the clear.

“It’s election time and we were campaigning in front of a huge crowd. Obviously, it becomes very difficult to communicate as one can hardly hear anything. So, it is possible he wanted to say something in my ear and so he held me,” she said.

The actress continued. “I know Gajraj ji pretty well and he has had no unprofessional intentions. In fact, he treats me like his daughter. The reports are blowing a tiny misunderstanding out of proportion.

But what about her leaving the venue in a huff?

“I just left for a few minutes. That’s all. But I continued on my campaign trail for another three hours,” the actress said.

A case of shocking etiquette? So, going by Nagma’s version, MLA Gajraj simply got his whispers in a twist.

“In this case, Nagma’s personal space was clearly violated and this is a clear case of harassment,” says Hyderabad-based etiquette expert Sonali Malhotra.

She also explained the rather “unfair” world of women in politics.

“In traditionally male only arenas such as politics, women inadvertently get treated like men. Therefore, women often try to curb their feminine side to fit, and be accepted, in a man’s world. Often, this is the reason why male colleagues get away with inappropriate actions. But on the other hand, to avoid being taken for granted, she needs to make sure her sexuality is not violated. It’s unfair, but that’s how it usually works.”

And perhaps no one knows this better than actress Navneet Kaur Rana, who recently hit headlines for filing a harassment complaint against Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MP Anandrao Adsul.

“I’m going to give him a tough fight. Almost every woman, who is standing for elections, is now facing this problem. But I won’t be scared away. It should also be noted that, as celebs, we often face troubles from these ‘leaders’ during campaigns, and not from the crowd. That’s why I am not going to adopt any excessive security measures after the incident. The crowd is really fine, it’s just these men.”