Patna: A political storm has erupted after Purnia MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav made an objectionable and derogatory remark targeting women in politics, triggering protests and sharp reactions from across state.Taking suo motu cognisance, the Bihar State Women’s Commission questioned why his Lok Sabha membership should not be cancelled. “Why a recommendation should not be sent to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha for the revocation of your Lower House membership,” the commission said, asking him to submit a reply within three days.The commission termed the remark insulting and damaging to the dignity of women. Commission’s chairperson Apsara said, “The response must be made available to the undersigned authority without fail, and the matter has been described as essential and time-bound.” The notice warned of further legal action if his reply is not satisfactory.The comment, made with regard to the Women’s Reservation and Delimitation Bill, drew condemnation from political leaders and civil society groups, who described it as misogynistic and harmful to women’s participation in public life.BJP leader Sushma Sahu said, ““This narrow thinking of Pappu reflects his own mindset. ‘Jaaki rahi bhavna jaisi, prabhu moorat dekhi tin’ — they are viewing women around them in that very light. If any woman gets a promotion, they will say she got it through wrong dealings. Such petty thinking is highly condemnable.”Meena Tiwary, national general secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA), said, “This is a very wrong statement because women are reaching politics in large numbers on their own merit. Women have proven themselves in every field. Male politicians do not want to loosen their grip, and that is why they feel women should just follow behind them. Across the country, many women have entered politics through panchayats without their husbands or family members and have proven themselves.”Voices from civil society echoed the outrage. Sudha Varghese, founder of Nari Gunjan, said, “Pappu has given a nonsensical statement. No woman will believe his long and loud statement. We completely oppose it. Using this kind of indecent language against women working in politics reflects the mentality of a male-dominated society — a degraded mentality.”Shilpi Singh, director of Bhoomika Vihar, said, “This patriarchal society has a problem digesting women’s success and hard work. Those who consider themselves role models in society, especially leaders from Bihar, should exercise restraint because such statements can discourage thousands of women from entering public life.”Shaheena Perween, state lead of ‘The Hunger Project for Bihar’, said, “His statement is very dirty and deserves complete condemnation. He should not bring character into the issue of women’s participation in politics.”Alka Verma, advocate at Patna high court, said, “This is a highly controversial remark delivered as if it were a responsible observation. It shows complete lack of faith in women’s own merit and suggests they succeed only through exploitation.”
