It's safe to say that even though India has taken several steps towards progress in the last year, we still remain antiquated and extremely sexist in our thinking. What else would explain these bizzare and sexist quotes made by our leaders on women and rape? Here are some choice quotes to prove our point...
President Pranab Mukherjee's son and Congress' sitting MP from Jangipur Abhijeet Mukherjee kicked up a storm, calling the India Gate protesters against Delhi gangrape painted women far removed from reality.
"In India, staging candle-lit marches, going to discotheques - we did all this during our student life too, we were students too - I know every well what kind of character students should have. Those who claim to be students - I can see many beautiful women among them - highly dented-painted (sic) - they're giving interviews on TV, they've brought their children to show them the scenes. I have grave doubts whether they're students, because women of that age are generally not students," Abhijit Mukherjee said.
The sexist comment that has already created a political storm and is bound to embarrass his father.
Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam created a massive row when he abused TV actress-turned BJP leader Smriti Irani during a televised discussion on Gujarat election verdict. "Kal tak paiso ke liye TV par thumke lagati thi. Aaj chunavi vishleshak ban gayi (You used to dance for money in TV programmes till recently. Today you have become a poll analyst)," he snapped.
Bahujan Samaj Party MP Rajpal Singh shot himself in the foot when he said that most of the problems women face these days is because of their use of mobile phones. At a rally in his village, he said, "Hamari maa behnon ke paas to mobile na tha, kya mar gayin wo sab?" (Our mothers and sisters never had them, did they die without this gadget?)
Someone in the Sunderbadi village panchayat however agreed with him and the Bihar village has now banned the use of cellphones by women. The villagers will fine any girl using a phone (Rs 10,000) or any married woman using one outside her house (Rs 2000). How's that for progress?
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has astounding reasoning for the increased incidence of rapes in our country. She said, "Earlier if men and women would hold hands, they would get caught by parents and reprimanded but now everything is so open. It's like an open market with open options"
At a rally Samajwadi party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav said that rural women wouldn't benefit from the Women's Reservation Bill because, wait for it, they weren't attractive enough! He said, "Bade bade gharon ki ladkiya aur mahilayan kewal upar ja sakti hain...yaad rakhna...apko mauka nahi milega..hamare gaon ki mahila me akarshan itna nahin..."(Only girls and women from affluent class can go forward...remember this..you (rural women) will not get a chance...Our rural women did not have that much attraction)"
Union Coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal stirred a hornet's nest when he compared wives to victories. He said, "New victory and new wedding, both of them have their own importance. As time will pass, the victory will become old. As time passes, wife also becomes old, that charm does not sustain"
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had a rather absurd reply to a journalist's query on why children in the state were malnourished. He said "Gujarat is also a middle-class state. The middle-class is more beauty conscious than health conscious. If a mother tells her daughter to have milk, they'll have a fight. She'll tell her mother, "I won't drink milk. I'll get fat."
The Khap panchayat have been the worst offenders of all. From suggesting that eating chowmein causes rape, to suggesting early marriage so that molestation reports are fewer, they've defied reason and logic all year




