New Delhi, Jan. 25: The Congress today seized on the opportunity provided by a BJP leader's "disparaging" comment about Priyanka Gandhi to recall the Sangh parivar's"deep-rooted, anti-women mindset" and appealed to voters to punish regressive forces.
Vinay Katiyar, a former BJP Lok Sabha member and founder president of the Bajrang Dal, had responded to a query about Priyanka's entry as Congress star campaigner by saying: "It doesn't matter... there are women more beautiful than her who can campaign. Some artists and heroines... they are more beautiful than her."
Priyanka laughed off the comment: "Ha ha ha... He is right... they do!!! And if that's all the BJP sees in my colleagues who are each strong, brave and beautiful women that have battled through all sorts of hardships to get where they are, then he makes me laugh even more. Because he exposes the BJP's mindset towards the better half of the population of India!!!"
But the Congress hit out with full force against the "cheap, vulgar and discriminatory views" about women.
Party communications chief Randeep Surjewala said Katiyar's remark reflected the "culture of the BJP that commodifies women".
"The disparaging and atrocious remarks of Vinay Katiyar on Priyanka reflect the petty and insulting culture of the BJP that commodifies women. To adjudge India's women by physical features and not by their capacity, strength and sacrifice proves the lowly BJP mentality. The BJP has insulted India's womanhood," Surjewala said.
"Such conduct, behaviour and words prove the BJP's mentality - Time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and (BJP national president) Amit Shah to apologise. The BJP-RSS suffer from a deep-rooted and retrograde anti-women mindset," Surjewala added.
The BJP sought to distance itself from Katiyar's comment, with veteran leader M. Venkaiah Naidu saying the government and the party did not "subscribe" to his views.
"Nobody is expected to make personal comments against women," the information and broadcasting minister Naidu said, adding "the leader should withdraw his statement and be more careful in the future."
Katiyar too tried to clarify his observation, saying Priyanka was like his "niece".
"I have huge respect for women... I haven't said anything wrong. I was only replying to a journalist's question. Priyanka is like my niece. I only said beauty does not get votes and what is wrong if someone is beautiful... I respect women and there is no question of apologising."
The clarifications didn't impress Congress leaders who recalled how parivar outfits had targeted girls for going out with boys in the name of moral policing.
Priyanka's husband Robert Vadra too reacted, saying: "Shocked at misogynist remarks of the BJP MP saying there were prettier star campaigners in his party than Priyanka Gandhi. This exposes the shameful mindset of some of our political leaders. We all need to respect women and accept them as equals."
The Congress posted several messages on its official Twitter handle.
One post said: "Abusing women is part of the political narrative of the BJP. Their statements reek of misogyny. In 2004, Modi as Gujarat chief minister called Congress president (Sonia) a jersey cow. In 2012, he said malnutrition was because girls were figure-conscious. Then he attacked Shashi Tharoor by referring to his Rs 50-crore girlfriend. He also ordered snooping on a young girl."
The BJP leader had later apologised for using the derogatory term while referring to Sonia.
