Digvijay's 'Sau Taka Tunch Maal' description of Natarajan should be seen as a compliment: Renuka Chowdhury

Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury on Friday defended her party colleague Digvijay Singh's Sau Taka Tunch Maal description of Meenakshi Natarajan "as a compliment" in the context in which it was said.

"If you are saying that he has said it in a context of praise, then it must be looked upon as a compliment. When you are reporting, you must also see in what context a statement is being made. When statements are made in local constituencies, the local context is very different from that which is interpreted differently outside that context", Chowdhury said while downplaying the latest political controversy.

Earlier in the day, Natarajan herself attached little importance to Singh's comment saying that she took no offence at the remark.

"His statement has to be looked at in complete perspective. He has appreciated my work. I am not offended with Digvijay Singh's statement", Natarajan said.

Digvijay Singh, who was speaking at a rally in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh, earlier praised Natarajan by first pointing out that she was hardworking, a social worker, Gandhian, honest and ended by calling her 100 percent 'tunch maal'.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) though has lashed out at Digvijay Singh's remark saying that his recent statements reflect an unstable mental condition.

"Though it is an internal matter of the Congress party I maintain that Digvijay Singh is not in a stable state of mind. He has become a mental case. He urgently needs to be admitted to a hospital where he can be cured immediately," said BJP leader Vinay Katiyar.

"If the Congress cannot send him to a mental hospital, we urge them to tell us and we will fund his expenses. But he needs to be admitted immediately", he added.

BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi echoing similar sentiments said everybody in this country has now stopped taking Digvijay Singh seriously.

"Since yesterday, one has been watching a competition to mock and making ridiculous statements between the Congress spokespersons and various leaders. In this context, the copyright of Digvijay Singh has been lost and he is very upset about it and is continuing in this process of making silly statements," she added.

The sexist remark on Meenakshi Natarajan, who is a senior Congress leader and also the AICC secretary, when translated from Bhojpuri to English reads: "100 percent sexy woman."

Digvijay Singh had earlier on Thursday sparked off a controversy by sticking to his comments that the Batla House encounter was fake, despite a Delhi Court convicting one person for the murder of Delhi Police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma.