Surjewala’s Hema Malini remarks ‘vile, sexist’: BJP
CHANDIGARH/LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI: Remarks by Haryana Congress leader Randeep Surjewala against Hema Malini, the BJP candidate from UP’s Mathura, raised a storm on Thursday with BJP terming them “vile, sexist and misogynistic’’ and Surjewala calling the video shared by the BJP’s IT cell as edited, shared to divert attention from the Modi government’s policies and actions.
On her part, the actor who is a third-time party candidate from Mathura said Congress should learn how to respect women from PM Narendra Modi. After filing her nomination papers, the BJP MP said Congress leaders have targeted popular persons “because targeting unpopular ones won’t do them any good.”
BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared the purported video in which Surjewala was heard making the sexist comment. “The remark is the most disgusting description someone can come up with. Just the other day, Surjewala’s colleague was asking ‘rate’ of another BJP woman leader, and now this…This is Rahul Gandhi’s Congress. It is misogynistic and abhors women,” Malviya said.
Union minister for information and broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur said it had become a habit of the Congress to insult women. “Rahul Gandhi wants to fight with Shakti. Earlier, a Congress spokesperson made a very indecent comment against BJP candidate Kangana (Ranuat) ji. And today again a leader of Congress has given such a cheap statement against Hema Malini ji which we and you cannot even say here,” he said in his condemnation.
Surjewala sought to defend himself. “The BJP’s IT Cell has developed a habit of editing, distorting and spreading fake news so that it can distract the country from the Modi government’s anti-youth, anti-farmer, anti-poor policies and failures, besides its conspiracy to destroy the Constitution of India. Listen to the full video. I said, we also respect Hema Malini a lot because she is married to Dharmendra and is our daughter-in-law,’’ said Surjewala.