Facing intense scrutiny for his allegedly sexist remarks, Congress MP Randeep Surjewala pushed back against the BJP's criticism, accusing the party's IT cell of selectively sharing parts of his speech and highlighting their tendency to "distort facts and spread lies." The BJP, in turn, launched a scathing attack on Surjewala, condemning his remarks against Mathura MP Hema Malini as "vile" and "sexist," painting the incident as indicative of the Congress party's purported misogyny and disregard for women.
The controversy erupted after an undated video surfaced, shared by BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya, featuring Surjewala allegedly making objectionable comments about Hema Malini. Malviya took to Twitter to denounce Surjewala's remarks, branding them as demeaning not only to Hema Malini but to women in general, and portraying the incident as reflective of the Congress party's purportedly misogynistic stance.
In response, Surjewala defended himself, asserting that the BJP had cherry-picked segments of his speech to suit their narrative, and stressed that he holds respect for Hema Malini, emphasizing her marital relationship with Dharmendra. Despite this clarification, Surjewala was summoned by the Haryana women's panel over his comments.
The BJP, seizing on the opportunity to criticize Surjewala and the Congress, portrayed the incident as part of a larger pattern of disrespect towards women. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath lambasted Surjewala, suggesting that women would retaliate against such derogatory remarks in the upcoming elections.
Further exacerbating the rift, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused the Congress of consistently disrespecting "nari shakti" (women power), citing a recent incident involving derogatory remarks purportedly made by Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate against BJP leader Kangana Ranaut. Shrinate later claimed that the remarks were posted by someone with access to her accounts, and the post was subsequently deleted.
Surjewala, defending himself against the BJP's allegations, accused the party of twisting facts and spreading falsehoods. He contended that his remarks were not intended to insult Hema Malini, but rather to express respect for her, and accused the BJP of viewing everything through a lens of misogyny. Surjewala characterized the BJP's criticism as a ploy to divert attention from the government's contentious policies, particularly those affecting youth and farmers. He also accused the BJP of hypocrisy, highlighting instances where party leaders allegedly made derogatory remarks about women without facing similar backlash.
