Jayakaran Gupta, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP,) made a sexist comment during a public rally in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
Mr. Gupta addressed a huge gathering and said, “Congress ke ek neta to badi jor-jor bolte hain, acche din aaye? Unhe acche din dikhayi nahi dete. Arre skirt waali bai saari pehenkar mandir mein shish lagane lagi, gangajal se parhej karne waale log gangajal ka acchman karne lage. [There is a Congress leader who shouts and asks what happened to the acche din? She cannot see the acche din. These women who wear skirts and goes to the temples to pray and those who disrespect Gangajal, they are today paying respects to Gangajal.]”
The comments were said to be directed towards Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the All Indian Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh East. She was in limelight during the Kumbh Mela and visited Varanasi for roadshows and public rallies.
When the comments drew a lot of criticism on different social media platforms, Mr. Jayakaran denied that his words were for any particular individual and said, “Many people are doing that. Now you need to see who fits under that description.”
This is not the first time a BJP member took a dig at Priyanka Gandhi, based on her dressing and attire.
Recently, Harish Dwivedi, a BJP member, during a public rally in Basti, Uttar Pradesh said, “Everyone knows that when Priyanka Gandhi is in Delhi, she wears jeans and top but dons saree and sindoor when she comes to the constituencies.”
It is common between the opposition parties to criticise the members of other parties and make unrelated comments based on the opposition members’ caste, attire and/or religion. The comments are said to be a campaign strategy to defame the opposition and gain the majority of votes, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
The Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to begin from the 11th of April and will continue till the 19th of May.
The major parties contesting the elections are the Indian National Congress (INC) and the BJP.
The results of the Lok Sabha elections will be declared on the 23rd of May.
Stay tuned for further updates about the Lok Sabha elections.
