Patna, Apr 22: Bihar BJP MLA Maithili Thakur on Wednesday said Purnea MP Pappu Yadav’s statement was an insult to women who have earned their place in society through struggle and sacrifice.
A video has gone viral on social media in which the Independent MP purportedly tells reporters, while commenting on the issue of women’s reservation in legislatures, that “90 per cent of women cannot do politics without going into a leader’s room”.
Addressing a press conference along with a host of female BJP lawmakers, Thakur said remarks of this nature were deeply offensive.
“Women have achieved their place in society through struggle. If someone casually makes such a derogatory statement targeting a profession, imagine what women and their parents would feel. For a moment, I myself wondered what my parents would think about my safety and security,” she said.
Thakur said if Yadav failed to apologise, it would expose the opposition’s insensitivity towards women, adding that silence from Congress leaders would amount to complicity.
Former Bihar sports minister Shreyasi Singh said it reflected not just an individual’s mindset but also his attitude towards women in general.
“Since Yadav’s wife has served as a member of both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, how can he even make such a remark,” she asked.
“Every NDA worker is ready to give a fitting reply to such people,” she added.
Singh also targeted the Congress, calling it Yadav’s “protector”, and asked Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to clarify whether they supported or opposed his remarks.
BJP MP Sangeeta Kumari said such a “wicked mentality” was unacceptable in a country where women have traditionally been respected.
She said women from Bihar and across India had excelled in every field, including music, sports and governance.
BJP MLC Anamika Singh Patel alleged that Yadav had made the remark deliberately to draw public attention, maintaining that it reflected his character and ideology. (PTI)
