RJD leader sparks row with remark on women

Senior RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui on Saturday sparked a new controversy, which even attracted criticism from INDIA bloc ally JMM, when he said women in lipstick and with bob-cut hairstyles will enter Parliament in the name of women’s reservation. He later explained his comments, which were delivered at a party rally in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur, as ” typical village language”.

The women’s reservation bill, which was passed by Parliament on September 20, was signed into a law by President Droupadi Murmu on Friday (September 29). Siddiqui said his party has always supported the Bill, and that he was addressing a lot of women at the RJD rally and wanted to explain its benefits in typical village language.

The RJD is one of the strongest critics of the Act as it stands now and has demanded a quota for OBCs within the 33 percent women’s reservation. This soon became fodder for the ruling BJP, which slammed the opposition front — INDIA — saying this is the kind of mentality it holds.

Union minister Kaushal Kishore said women in Parliament is not only in keeping with their rights but also the rights of the public. “…Women coming to Parliament after winning the elections is not only keeping forward the rights of women but also the rights of the public… Just like the two wheels of a vehicle, women and men in Parliament and Vidhan Sabha will work together to make laws for public interests…” he said.

A woman MP, BJP’s Sunita Duggal said the remarks reflect a narrow mindset as such people only want women to stay inside the house. “…This shows their narrow mindset… Women are making a mark in every area… Such statements represent their rude mentality… They want women to do only household work and not contribute to the outside world…” she said.

Another woman MP from INDIA bloc ally, JMM, said statements like Siddiqui’s should be avoided in the 21st century as they can hurt women. “We are in the 21st century today, so one should avoid making such statements, which can hurt women… We also want women from backward classes to come forward… We are also talking about the reservation of SC, ST and OBC women…” said JMM MP Mahua Maji.