OPINION | Elections, women and indecent remarks: Stop it now

Recent incidents in Maharashtra and Jharkhand highlight the growing issue of male politicians making derogatory remarks about female candidates. In Jharkhand, Congress minister Irfan Ansari referred to his BJP opponent, Sita Soren, with an indecent term, sparking outrage.

On October 25, Congress minister in Jharkhand Irfan Ansari, contesting from Jamtara, described his BJP political rival Sita Soren as a "rejected maal". BJP leaders protested with the Governor and demanded that he be dismissed from cabinet and barred from contesting elections. Ansari, on his part, did not apologize, but said, he did not use the words against Sita Soren, but used it in a general colloquial sense ("bolchaal ki bhaasha me use kiye the"). 

Sita Soren is the wife of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha founder Shibu Soren's eldest son Durga Soren, who died in 2009. She is the estranged sister-in-law of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.  A tribal woman, Sita Soren broke down at a public meeting when she narrated the incident. 

In Mumbai, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP and a close confidante of Uddhav Thackeray, Arvind Sawant, made an "imported maal" remark about Shaina NC. He faced an immediate backlash and Shaini NC filed an FIR against Sawant at Nagpada police station on Friday. The reason for using this indecent remark, according to Sawant, is that Shaina NC changed her constituency to Mumbadevi. 

In his defense, Arvind Sawant says he considers Shaini NC as "my friend". Sawant said, "I never mentioned her name; I only said that an outsider is an imported maal, and will not able to work here." 

The fact is, his allusion was clearly towards Shaina NC, who promptly reacted to X, saying, "I am a woman, not a maal" (Mai Mahila Hoon, Maal Nahin). She said the women voters of Mumbai will surely give a befitting reply to such leaders. Shaina NC said she would not forgive Sawant until and unless he comes to the police station and begs for pardon. 

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on whose party ticket Shaina NC is contesting, said the women of Maharashtra will reply to Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi for this indecent remark. Arvind Sawant, instead of tendering an apology, indulged in whataboutery, mentioning the parade of women in nude by a mob in Manipur to Janata Dal(S) leader Prajjwal Revanna's sexual acts. 

Arvind Sawant knows well what he said and for whom the remark was intended. By obfuscating, he is multiplying his mistake. It would have been better if had he not tried to justify his remark. By describing Shaina NC as an "imported maal", he has insulted womanhood. He could have apologised by saying it was a slip of the tongue, and the matter could have ended there. 

Nobody becomes a lesser mortal by tendering an apology. The sad part is that some of our male politicians view women as second-class citizens. The use of indecent remarks like 'rejected maal' and 'imported maal' about female politicians cannot be justified. It is shameful.

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