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Naresh Agarwal not sorry for Jaya Bachchan remark, Akhilesh Yadav wants BJP to act
- IndiaToday.in
- New Delhi
- March 13, 2018
- UPDATED 10:38 IST
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HIGHLIGHTS
- Agarwal refused to apologise for his sexist remarks against actor-politician Jaya Bachchan.
- Union minister Sushma Swaraj had referred to his words as "improper and unacceptable".
- The sexist remarks came after Agarwal lost SP's nomination to RS seat to Bachchan.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Agarwal refused to apologise for his sexist remarks against actor-politician Jaya Bachchan.
- Union minister Sushma Swaraj had referred to his words as "improper and unacceptable".
- The sexist remarks came after Agarwal lost SP's nomination to RS seat to Bachchan.
Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Agrawal today refused to apologise for his sexist remarks against actor-politician Jaya Bachchan, even after senior Union minister Sushma Swaraj had referred to his words as "improper and unacceptable".
"Agar meri kisi baat se kisi ko thes pahunchi hai to main khed vyakt karta hun (If my words have hurt anybody, then I express my regret)," Agrawal, 66, who quit the Samajwadi Party and joined the BJP "unconditionally" on Monday, told news agency ANI.
When the reporter asked if he means an apology, Agrawal said, "Khed shabd ka matlab samajhte hain aap? (Do you know what regret means?)"
On Monday, making his debut remarks as a BJP leader, Agrawal had said, "For somebody who used to dance in films, act in films, I was denied a ticket (for Rajya Sabha). I did not find it appropriate."
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has demanded an apology from his former party colleague Agrawal over his remarks against Bachchan.
"We strongly condemn the remarks made by BJP leader Naresh Agrawal against Jaya Bachchan. It's an insult not only to the women in the film industry, but to all the women of India. If the BJP truly respects women, it should immediately act against him. The women's commission should also act," Yadav tweeted today.
The sexist remarks against Jaya Bachchan came on Monday after Naresh Agrawal lost the Samajwadi Party's renomination to a Rajya Sabha seat to her.
Later in the day, External Affairs Minister and the BJP's most prominent woman face, Sushma Swaraj, took to Twitter to criticise Agrawal's comments.
"Naresh Agrawal has joined Bhartiya Janata Party. He is welcome. However, his comments regarding Jaya Bachhan ji are improper and unacceptable," Sushma tweeted.
Anothe woman Union minister, Smriti Zubin Irani, also appeared to be critical of Agrawal's remarks. She said when when a woman's honour is challenged, "we stand as one in our condemnation irrespective of our politics".
Irani, however, did not directly mention Agrawal.