Senior Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui has stirred a controversy after he made derogatory remarks against women while opposing the newly enacted Women’s Reservation Bill (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam) in Muzaffarpur of Bihar on Friday, September 29.
While addressing a gathering in Bibiganj of Muzaffarpur, the RJD leader asserted that the recently passed bill on women’s reservation, which became law after President Draupadi Murmu gave assent to it, cannot ensure the representation of all sections of the women in society.
Speaking at the ‘Samajik Jagrukta Sammelan’ in Muzaffarpur, the RJD leader Siddiqui said, “it would be alright if you allot a quota for the backward, extremely backward, otherwise only women with powder, lipstick and bob cut hairstyles would come forward in the jobs then what will happen to the women of yours, will they get their right?”
"अब संसद में लिपिस्टिक और छोटे बालों वाली महिलाएं आ जाएंगी और आपकी महिलाओं का हक मार लेंगी"
◆ महिला आरक्षण क़ानून पर RJD नेता अब्दुल बारी सिद्दीकी का विवादित बयान
Abdul Bari Siddiqui | #AbdulBariSiddiqui | #WomensReservationBill pic.twitter.com/CNj8fwjiin
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) September 30, 2023
The RJD leader’s remarks soon sparked an outrage as many leaders cutting across the parties slammed Siddiqui for his sexiest remarks. Interacting with the media the Janata Dal United (JDU), MLC Khalid Anwar said that “In my opinion this is not appropriate to attack a certain section while fighting for the rights of another, this is against the ideology of Nitish Kumar Ji and JDU, people do not endorse such view.”
Meanwhile speaking to the media, BJP MLA Shreyasi Singh said that “people like Abdul Siddiqui Bari are scared of women and people like him have hit a new low with their style of politics. Now these things are not accepted within the society and they would not gain anything from it. I am a woman and an educated one and I believe remarks like these are anti-women and against women empowerment. Remarks like these are aimed to show women in low stature he should make an apology for his comments,” added the BJP MLA.
Another leader from the BJP, Sahzad Poonawala while launching a bitter attack on the RJD and the I.N.D.I.Aliance said that “this is not just the statement and thought process of RJD, it is the thought process of the entire I.N.D.I alliance. Today at the time when we are doing Naari Shakti Vandan by passing the constitutional guarantee under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for women’s reservation at the same time fifty percent population of this country are being humiliated and insulted by the I.N.D.I alliance.”
#WATCH | Delhi: On RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui’s reported statement, BJP Leader Shehzad Poonawalla says, "This is not just the statement and thought process of RJD. It is the thought process of the entire INDI alliance today. When we are passing the constitutional guarantee… pic.twitter.com/LhkTK1qoEo
— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2023
“This is not the first time that such remarks have been made. This is the same bunch of people that had opposed any women’s right in the name of vote bank policy, from Shah Bano to Shaira Bano they stood against women rights. In the parliament we have seen SP, RJD how they have tornned the copies of women’s reservation bill earlier and the Congress party has always stood with such parties because the Congress itself is anti women,” added Poonawala.
Now after storming the political galleries, Siddiqui while interacting with the media said my intention was not to hurt anyone and the remarks were made in a lighter way to teach my voters who hail from marginalised sections and are uneducated in general.
“It happens quite oftenly that the we all prefer to convey in a language better understood by voters, thus it’s natural that I conveyed it in way more understandable to the women of the marginalized sections who are uneducated, it does not mean that I wanted to humiliate anyone or hurt sentiments”, quoted the RJD leader.
"पिछड़ी जाति की जो महिला हैं वो अनपढ़ हैं…"
लिपस्टिक और बॉब कट वाली महिलाओं पर दिये बयान के बाद क्या बोले RJD नेता अब्दुल बारी सिद्दीकी, सुनिए।#AbdulBariSiddiqui #RJD #Bihar pic.twitter.com/59TLrkcDLw
— Bihar Tak (@BiharTakChannel) September 30, 2023
It is to be noted that this is not the first time that a remark made by Siddiqui has stirred a controversy and earlier the RJD leader had ignited a row after he said that he has asked his son and daughter who lived abroad to take a job there and if possible the citizenship as well as now it has become difficult to live in India.
