In India, big and small neta alike do not fear being apprehended, leave alone reprimanded for making sexist statements. Though such irresponsible behavior always existed, one got to see their insensitive side during Nirbhaya’s case, when massive rallies and consistent public demonstrations forced the government to act and arrest the four accused in the case.
At that time, Delhi CM Shiela Dixit suggested that girls and women would be better off if they did not venture out after 7 pm in the evening, saying little or nothing about the male psyche that eventually leads to such gruesome acts. If a sportsperson is caught guilty of racial slur, they are suspended immediately from the game for a while depending on the intensity of the abuse.
Thankfully, Indian netas do not face any such predicament. So they continue to make statements without realizing the impact and repercussions.
The latest neta to join the list of such insensitive people is the Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah. Not only did he sleep in the Assembly when the discussion about rape was going on, he later snapped at a reporter saying, “Is this the best news we have?” All this after a six-year-old girl was brutally raped in Bengaluru.
The incident which is not first of its kind had led to angry parents taking to the streets in mass protest.
Instead of punishing the guilty for such heinous act and taking stringent measures to avoid such incidents, the CM continues to be aloof and surprisingly gets away with his insensitivity.
UP Governor Aziz Qureshi indulged in a similar behavior when he brushed aside rape as a ‘trivial’ matter. Recently, at an Iftar party, he was questioned about the law and order situation in the state following the torture, gang-rape and murder of the victim.
But the man was more interested in knowing how the biryani was and told the reporters, “Did you taste the biryani? It tastes great... Leave other things aside.”
Naturally, when such is the Governor of a state with highest crime rate, one cannot expect the UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to be pulled up for delaying action and not crushing the criminal elements in the state.
While one politician’s insensitivity cannot shield another neta’s thoughtlessness, there are a handful of reasons that push such politicians to make such inhuman comments. For starters, they half believe in them. Another reason is that a few of them feel making such instigating statements will get them on to the evening news.
Last, but most important reason is that they know that they can get away despite making such statements.
How else can one explain the sensational statement made by MP Tapas Pal wherein he said that his ‘boys’ would ‘rape’ women of the opposition party? What was more surprising was the way Mamata Banerjee chose to deal with such reckless comment. Though Pal apologized, Mamata simply snubbed him by calling his statement a ‘big blunder’.
So, instead of being punished or shamed for the sexist remarks some netas choose to make, they are enjoying publicity and getting away by indirectly supporting the very crime that they ought to punish.
Hence it is not surprising that our politicians continue to bait women with ease as they fear no legal action, no threat or danger of arrest or losing their position. It’s definitely time to fight back India!
