BJP attacks Surjewala over remarks on Hema Malini; he responds
Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of manipulating a video clip after the saffron party shared a video of him making "vile, sexist" remarks against Hema Malini. Responding to the clip, Surjewala alleged that the video was edited to make it seem as if he had made derogatory remarks about Malini, a BJP MP from Mathura. He insisted that the video was selectively edited and urged viewers to watch its full version.
Why does this story matter?
The controversy began on Wednesday, when Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP's IT department, shared a video of Surjewala delivering a speech on social media. In this video, Surjewala appears to say, "Why people elect their MLAs/MPs? So that they (MLAs/MPs) can raise the public's voice. It's not like Hema Malini, who was elected to lick." The remarks drew criticism from BJP leaders, with Malviya describing it as "the most disgusting description someone can come up with."
Check out the video of Surjewala here
Surjewala clarifies remarks, accuses BJP of distraction tactics
Surjewala defended his comments about Malini, stating: "What I said was that we have great respect for Hema Malini ji, who is married to Dharmendra ji, and therefore is our daughter-in-law." He expressed bewilderment as to why these 'BJP pawns' did not take issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks about female leaders within the Congress. He further clarified that his intentions were not to insult or offend anyone.
Recent reprimands by Election Commission of India
This incident follows recent reprimands by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to both Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate and BJP MP Dilip Ghosh for their inappropriate comments about women. Shrinate was reprimanded for sharing an objectionable post against Kangana Ranaut, whom the BJP fielded from Mandi, Himchal Pradesh. Similarly, BJP MP Ghosh was chastised for ridiculing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claims of being the "daughter" of various states in a video.