On Friday, September 29, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui made a highly sexist remark while opposing the Women’s Reservation Bill, which recently became law after it received assent from President Droupadi Murmu. The RJD senior leader said that women with powder, lipsticks and bob-cut hairstyles would come forward in the name of the Women’s Reservation Bill.
While addressing a public event in Muzaffarpur, the RJD leader asserted that the Women’s Reservation Bill would not assure representation of all sections of women in society and that it would mainly benefit women who wear powder, and lipstick and keep bob-cut hairstyles, implying privileged women.
“Those with powder, lipsticks and bob cut hairstyles would come forward in the name of women’s reservation. Rather, the government should provide reservations for women belonging to backward communities,” Siddiqui said.
The RJD leader further advised the audience to avoid television and social media. He suggested staying away from television and social media till at least the Lok Sabha elections adding that the “masters” of television and social media tend to act on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s signals. He encouraged all socialists to commit to boycotting television at least until the Lok Sabha elections. “You should stop watching the TV and spending time on social media without using your brains,” Siddiqui said.
BJP slams RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui for his sexist remark, questions Congress’ silence
Meanwhile, BJP has strongly reacted to the RJD leader’s sexist statement. It also condemned the Congress and other opposition parties of the I.N.D.I. alliance for not opposing their ally’s anti-woman remark
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla said, “Congress party is afraid of the same socialists, RJD, JDU who give such statements that women with a bob cut and lipstick will come. In order to get their support, you did not give women their rights.”
“This is not just the statement and thought process of RJD. It is the thought process of the entire I.N.D.I. alliance today. When we are passing the constitutional guarantee under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi for women’s reservation, 50 per cent population of this country are being humiliated and insulted by the I.N.D.I. alliance,” he said.
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad also slammed the RJD party for its double standards. He asserted that a party which has always believed in caste divide and dynastic politics speaking on women’s reservation is quite hypocritical.
“…Ordinary OBC or party worker has no place, it is reserved for the family. Therefore, this hypocrisy, double-standards are shocking. We are proud of PM Modi for the way he has empowered the women of the country…,” the BJP MP was quoted by ANI as saying.
The RJD leader is no stranger to controversies. It is pertinent to recall that in December last year, Abdul Bari Siddiqui sparked controversy after he said that he asked his son who studied at Harvard University in the United States and daughter who studied at the London School of Economics to get jobs abroad, and if possible, get citizenship there as well alleging that Indian Muslims face insecurity in India and that his children may not able to tolerate that.
Back in 2020, Abdul Bari Siddiqui had called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “Dangewala CM” (riot-accused CM). Siddiqui made outrageous remarks against PM Modi despite the fact that PM Modi was given a clean chit by the Supreme Court in the Gujarat riots of 2002, which took place in the aftermath of the burning of Sabarmati Express in Godhra.
Notably, the Women’s Reservation Bill passed by the Parliament last week, became law after it received assent from President Droupadi Murmu. As reported earlier, the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhniyam’, which provides 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha as well as the state legislative assemblies, was unanimously passed by the Rajya Sabha, becoming the first bill to be passed in the new Parliament building.
While the I.N.D.I Alliance had jumped to claim credit for the same with the Congress leading the credit war within the alliance, OpIndia reported how the Bill was delayed by Opposition parties, including those who were members of the UPA, like SP, RJD, LJP, and JDU, for the last 27 years.