Mulayam’s catcall earns ire of parties

NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav was on Wednesday criticised by political parties for his sexist remark on the women’s reservation bill.

Addressing a meeting in Lucknow on Tuesday Mr Singh had said that if the women’s reservation bill is passed, it will fill Parliament with the kind of women who would invite catcalls and whistles.

The CPM slammed him for resorting to “low level” rhetoric. In a strong reaction, CPM said that the statement of Mr Yadav showed that he did not have any cogent criticism against the quota bill. “If there is a logic to his opposition to the bill, he can express it. But precisely because there is no logic to his opposition, he is resorting to such a low level of political debate which is offensive to women,” senior party leader Brinda Karat said here. “The comment about men whistling or cat-calling at women who are in politics also trivialises what is actually a harassment offence,” she added.

Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh said the remark was extremely unfortunate. “If he (Mulayam) had such feelings he should not have fielded his daughter-in-law as a candidate.” Ms Dimple Yadav unsuccessfully contested a Lok Sabha by-election in Uttar Pradesh last year.

His former party colleague Amar Singh demanded “appropriate action” by the National Commission for Women (NCW) against the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, “It is a sexist, Talibani and a cheap remark, which hurts womanhood. I hope that NCW will take cognisance of the statement and take appropriate action,” Mr Amar Singh said.

Addressing SP workers at a function to mark Ram Manohar Lohia’s birth centenary in Lucknow on Tuesday, Mr Yadav had said: “I don’t like to say this, but they (those elected due to women’s quota) would be the women like wives and daughters of officers and businessmen, the kind who get whistled at.”