On November 13, Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar made controversial and alleged sexist remarks about Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis’s wife during a rally in Nagpur, Maharashtra, ahead of the state elections. Kanhaiya accused Fadnavis of spreading divisive discourse and questioned why the public should be tasked with safeguarding religion while his wife is busy making Instagram reels.
The statement was directed at Fadnavis, who is contesting from the Nagpur Southwest constituency, where he is facing Congress candidate Prafulla Gudadhe. While not explicitly naming Amruta Fadnavis, Kanhaiya Kumar criticized her for being extremely active on social media.
Kanhaiya Kumar remarked, “If this is a ‘dharma yudh’ (religious war), then question any leader who gives you speeches about saving religion. Ask them if the leader’s own sons and daughters will also join in the fight to save religion. How is it possible that the public saves religion while the leader’s children study abroad? How can the public be responsible for saving religion, while the Deputy Chief Minister’s wife makes Instagram reels?.” He implied that the families of BJP leaders, including the former CM’s wife, were not actively contributing to the cause of saving religion.
The BJP quickly condemned the incident, accusing the Congress party of hypocrisy. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla criticized Kanhaiya Kumar for insulting Amruta Fadnavis, pointing out the contradiction in Congress’s stance. He said, “On one hand, Congress promotes the slogan ‘Ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon’ (I am a woman and I can fight), but on the other, they insult women. This is what Congress is all about.”
Sun le Naxali Afzal Guru Samarthak Congress ke Kanhaiya Kumar
Teri itni himmat ki Maharashtra ki beti ka apman karega
Amruta Fadnavis ji ka yeh apman ek ek Marathi ladki behen ka apman hai
Yeh rejected maal , imported maal bolne walon ko Maharashtra sabak sikhayegi pic.twitter.com/KVkjA1Or9q
— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) November 14, 2024
He added, “How dare Kanhaiya Kumar, a supporter of terrorists like Afzal Guru, insult Maharashtra’s daughter, our sister, and the wife of a former Chief Minister? The Congress must answer for this, especially when they claim that women can fight and should stand up for themselves.”
However, Congress defended Kanhaiya Kumar’s remarks, claiming that there was nothing “insulting” in what he said. Congress leader Pawan Khera stated, “He did not insult anyone.”
मुंबई: महाराष्ट्र के उपमुख्यमंत्री देवेंद्र फडणवीस की पत्नी के बारे में कांग्रेस नेता कन्हैया कुमार की टिप्पणी को लेकर कांग्रेस नेता पवन खेड़ा ने कहा, "उन्होंने किसी का अपमान नहीं किया।" pic.twitter.com/0tj2NFHGj1
— IANS Hindi (@IANSKhabar) November 14, 2024
Meanwhile, Kanhaiya Kumar also took aim at Jay Shah, who chairs the International Cricket Council (ICC) and is the son of Home Minister Amit Shah. He questioned, “Will Amit Shah’s son, Jay Shah, join in the fight to save religion? He is busy forming IPL teams in the BCCI, while we are told to create teams on Dream 11. They promote dreams of becoming cricketers, but we end up as gamblers.”
Kanhaiya Kumar, the controversial former JNU student leader, has been at the centre of multiple controversies. These have ranged from accusations by his close aide, who called him a ‘liar’ and ‘casteist,’ to more serious allegations, including claims that he had exposed himself to a woman. Kumar was also arrested by the Delhi Police in connection with the 2016 Delhi sedition case, following an event organized by JNU students on the campus to mark the second anniversary of the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
The 288 legislative assembly seats in Maharashtra will be contested in a single phase on November 20, with the vote counting scheduled for November 23.
