NCW notice to BJP leader Sadhana Singh for objectionable remarks against Mayawati

The National Commission for Women (NCW), taking Suo Motu cognisance of the highly objectionable remarks of BJP MLA Sadhana Singh against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati. According to news agency ANI, the NCW will soon send a notice to the BJP lawmaker. Addressing a rally in her constituency in Uttar Pradesh’ Mughalsarai, Singh had said, “She (Mayawati) has no self-respect... she was almost molested earlier and yet... in history, when Draupadi was molested, she took a vow to seek revenge... but this woman, she lost everything, but still sold her dignity for the sake of power. We strongly condemn Mayawati ji. She is a blot on womankind. A woman who gulped insults for comfort and power.”

The BJP leader’s remarks were an apparent reference to the 1995 guest house scandal when the BSP chief was allegedly assaulted by Samajwadi Party leaders. Following the incident, the relations between the SP and the BSP remained hostile for over two decades.

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However, the animosity ended recently, when Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav announced their coalition for the Lok Sabha elections, scheduled to be held later this year. During the announcement of their alliance, the BSP chief had said that she had left behind the guest scandal for the sake of the country.

Meanwhile, the NCW notice came after the BJP leader refused to apologise for her shocking remarks. "I don't regret my statement. A woman who is unable to protect her own dignity is a blot on womankind. She forgot her disrespect for political gains. It's not only about her but the entire womenfolk, which has been let down," Singh was quoted by News18 as saying.

The remarks of the BJP leader were sharply criticised by the BSP which said that the words used for Mayawati show the level of the saffron party. "After the announcement of this coalition (SP-BSP), BJP leaders have lost their mental balance and they should be admitted to mental hospitals in Agra and Bareilly," senior BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra said.

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Akhilesh Yadav, who had declared during his joint press conference with the BSP chief for the announcement of the coalition that Mayawati's insult would be like his insult also condemned the incident, saying the remarks of the BJP leader was an "insult to the women of the country" and demonstrate the "moral bankruptcy and hopelessness" of the saffron party.