Congress demands apology from Katiyar

Women Congress workers on Friday staged a protest outside the BJP office here demanding an apology from its leader Vinay Katiyar for his "sexist" remarks against Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Katiyar on Wednesday had said that there were far "prettier" faces canvassing for his party after the Congress announced their President Sonia Gandhi's daughter as the star campaigner for the poll-bound state of Uttar Pradesh.

Hundreds of women workers led by Congress leader Barkha Singh Shukla staged the protest outside the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters on Ashoka Road and raised slogans like 'Desh ki betiyo ka apmaan, nahi sahega Hindustan'.

"Katiyar should feel ashamed of this, (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi should feel ashamed of this. Katiyar should apologise," Shukla told reporters.

"We women represent 50 per cent of India's population," Shukla said.

She said if ever such language was used by any of the Congress leaders, the party President would have taken immediate action against them.

Lashing out at the BJP leaders, Shukla said, "Will they speak in such language against the women members of their family? Don't they have mothers and sisters in their homes?"

Asked to comment on Priyanka being named as one of the star campaigners, the BJP Rajya Sabha member recently courted controversy as he told the media: "It doesn't make any difference. We have far more prettier women, heroines as star campaigners."

Katiyar's comment came a day after Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav made a similar sexist remark.

Speaking in Bihar, the JD-U MP said the "honour of being able to cast a vote is a much greater honour than your daughter's honour".

"If a daughter's honour is violated, then only her neighbourhood, her village will lose its honour. But if a vote is sold, it is the country's honour that's violated," said Yadav.

Reacting to Sharad Yadav's comment, Shukla said, "He should now sit at home."

--IANS

aks/in/bg