NEW DELHI, Mar 27: After attacking the Congress for demeaning women over the party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate’s alleged lewd comments against Bollywood actress and BJP Lok Sabha candidate Kangana Ranaut, the BJP on Wednesday was caught napping with similar derogatory comments on the role of women in the society.
The Opposition has called out the ruling BJP over its latest political advertisement which parodies INDIA bloc leaders. The opposition leaders said the advertisement reduced the role of women in society.
The ad shows actors parodying different leaders of the Opposition alliance INDIA, including Rahul Gandhi, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Arvind Kejriwal, and Uddhav Thackeray, among others. A woman is shown dressed up as a bride and the INDIA bloc leaders are shown arguing over who will be her groom, implying the Opposition’s indecision over its leadership.
Reacting to the ad, Ms Shrinate said, “Marriage is a sacred institution. This is a relationship based on mutual trust and love, which despite not being of blood, is stronger than that and is the foundation of all other relationships in life. Today, an obscene advertisement of BJP has once again made it clear that in their conservative eyes, the existence of a woman is to wear a lehenga, become a bride and impress a groom.”
“But there is a difference between finding a groom and choosing your representative in a democracy. Well, anyone can become the groom – it is important to follow the marital dharma,” she said in a post on X.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “The latest BJP ad is a pathetic example of how they look at women’s role in society. The typical stereotype of a woman being all dolled up to impress a groom in an arranged marriage setting. That’s how they see an Indian voter- a woman seeking a groom rather than a government. A woman knows the difference in her political vote and what makes love float.”
Ms Chaturvedi called the ad unfortunate and said it reduced a woman’s role in society. “Having a woman all dolled up and talking to a particular groom coming with business partners… I think that’s making a mockery of how women are presented in this country,” she said.
(Manas Dasgupta)