BJP MLA’s ‘Maya worse than eunuch’ barb draws NCW ire

Aditi Tandon 

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 20

The National Commission for Women (NCW) today condemned the misogynistic remarks against BSP supremo Mayawati by UP BJP lawmaker Sadhana Singh and said it would issue a notice to her  tomorrow.

Singh, the MLA from Mughalsarai, used crude words for Mayawati accusing her of “trading her self-respect for political power” and saying “she’s worse than a eunuch”.

The remarks drew widespread condemnation across social media spaces with NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma  demanding a public apology from her. “Such derogatory statements are unbecoming of a leader and highly condemnable. @NCWIndia has taken Suo Motu (sic) cognisance and will be sending a notice to Sadhana Singh tomorrow,” Sharma tweeted.

This is the second notice the NCW will send to a politician for sexist remarks. Only last week, Sharma had shot off a similar notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi when he questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “sending a woman (Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman) to defend himself in the Rafale matter in the Lok Sabha”. While the NCW has been condemning verbal violence against women by male politicians, the case at hand is unique as the perpetrator is a woman.

“The BJP MLA in question is mentally ill,” BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra said as the BJP grappled with political consequences of Sadhana’s utterances. The BSP just formed a Lok Sabha poll alliance with the SP in UP, posing a potential challenge to the BJP.

As for the NCW, its powers to act against misogyny are limited. Former NCW Chairman Lalita Kumaramangalam told The Tribune: “The NCW can issue summons in such cases, but cannot enforce the attendance of the respondents. The commission can and must condemn misogyny and violence against women but when it comes to enforcement of summons and notices, it is not within NCW’s powers.”

The NCW Act 1990 has been found wanting when it comes to enforcement by the commission, be it in dealing with misogyny or sexual harassment at workplaces.

The recent #MeToo movement has now triggered the need for a review of the NCW Act to grant meaningful powers to the commission to act against sexual vilification.

‘I regret what i said’  

I had no such intention to hurt anyone.... I regret what I said. I just shared a woman’s pain, and didn’t want to insult anyone. — Sadhana Singh,  BJP  MLA

BSP leader seeks fir

BSP leader Ram Chandra Gautam lodged a complaint against Singh with the Chanduali police. Gautam sought that the BJP MLA be booked under the SC/ST Act. “We will probe the matter first,” said the police. PTI