In a very sexist and misogynistic social media message Monday (November 29) morning, Congress leader and Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) Shashi Tharoor suggested women make the workplace "attractive".
The Winter session of parliament started Monday (November 29). Former Union minister and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, a Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, posted a social media message suggesting women make the workplace "attractive".
In the message posted on Twitter and Facebook, Tharoor wrote, "Who says the Lok Sabha isn't an attractive place to work? With six of my fellow MPs this morning. Supriya Sule Preneet Kaur Thamizhachi Thangapandian Mimi Chakraborty Nusrat Jahan Jothimani Sennimalai.”
A picture of Tharoor with women MPs Supriya Sule, Preneet Kaur, Thamizhachi Thangapandian, Mimi Chakraborty, Nusrat Jahan, and Jothimani Sennimalai was posted with the message.
This created a social media storm with netizens criticising Tharoor for objectifying women.
The National Commission for Women Chairperson Rekha Sharma criticised Tharoor for objectifying women and posting a highly sexist and misogynistic message on social media.
She wrote, "Does women have only this role in parliament? You are demeaning their contribution in parliament and politics by making them an object of attraction."
After the uproar, Tharoor apologised for his misogynistic message and clarified that the women MPs roped in him.
He wrote, "The whole selfie thing was done (at the women MPs' initiative) in great good humour and it was they who asked me to share it in the same spirit. I am sorry some people are offended but I was happy to be roped in to this show of workplace camaraderie. That's all this is."
Tharoor's third wife, Sunanda Pushkar, was found dead on January 17, 2014, in a five-star hotel at the Leela Palace in Delhi. Tharoor was accused of her "murder".
While still married to Sunanda Pushkar, Tharoor was also having an "extra-marital affair" with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar.
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