After derogatory remarks made by a BJP leader against BSP chief Mayawati, TN CM Jayalalithaa has come out in support of Mayawati. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, BSP party chief Mayawati on Wednesday lashed out at BJP UP vice-president Dayashankar Singh by stressing that his ‘prostitute’ remark was aimed not just at her, but at his own mother and sisters too.
Jayalalithaa issued a press statement backing the former UP chief minister.
Hailing Mayawati as a peerless leader of Dalits, Jayalalithaa said," Mayawati is like a sister to me. While the BJP leader condemns the incidents in Gujarat one day, he makes vulgar and obscene comments the next day. You cannot have a political leader with such contrasting opinions. The words he used were condemnable and such people find loyalists despite their remarks. From time to time, women involved in political life are subject to such cruelty.
I have experienced similar issues in my political tenure. The comments against Mayawati made my heart weak. I hope such attacks on female politicians will end. While the BJP has said they regret the statement, that is not enough. I urge Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to expel Dayasankar Singh from the party. However, this is not enough – the BJP leader has consistently hurled abuses such as this towards women, so the party has to put a stop to that."
On Tuesday, BJP Uttar Pradesh state vice-president Dayashankar Singh had made the atrocious remark against Mayawati in Mau. Later Singh issued an apology, saying he respected Mayawati and had no intention to hurt her sentiments.
"I have been called a lot of things. When people ask why I don't answer back in the same language, it's because that's not in my character," said Mayawati. "Everyone regards me as their sister. The person who uses such language has not said this just about me, but also about his own sisters and mother," she told Parliament.
She added that it was not about her being a Dalit either. "If tomorrow, he uses such abusive language against other women including those of the upper caste, or against your mothers and sisters," she asked fellow parliamentarians, "would that be acceptable?"