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Sona Mohapatra questioned the need for such comments in an already sexist landscape.
New Delhi:
Singer Sona Mohapatra on Wednesday criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his recent comments directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai during the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya last month. In a series of tweets, Mohapatra defended Aishwarya Rai against what she perceived as degrading comments and criticized the practice of politicians exploiting women for political gains.
In a recent public address during the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, Rahul Gandhi attacked the BJP over the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ event held at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22. The Congress leader said that the OBCs and Dalits, who constitute 73 per cent of the country’s population, were conspicuously absent from the grand ceremony attended by billionaires and Bollywood celebrities.
“Did you see the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony at the Ram Temple? Was there only one face of the OBC? There was Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Narendra Modi,” Rahul Gandhi had said.
The BJP responded with a collage of several speeches by Rahul Gandhi in which the 53-year-old can be heard mentioning the Bollywood actor.
“Television channels only show Aishwarya Rai dancing. They don’t show anything about the poor,” Rahul Gandhi said in one of the speeches.
Clown Prince of Congress @RahulGandhi He now has a dangerous and creepy obsession with successful, self-made women.
Frustrated by the constant rejections of Indians, Rahul Gandhi has fallen to a new level of degrading Indian pride, Aishwarya Rai.
A fourth generation dynasty, with zero… pic.twitter.com/6TA442wWTZ
-BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) February 21, 2024
Mohapatra expressed her disapproval and questioned the need for such comments in an already sexist landscape.
“What is it with politicians who demean women in their speeches to score some points in a sexist landscape? Dear Rahul Gandhi, surely someone has degraded your own mother (Sonia Gandhi), your sister (Priyanka Gandhi) similarly in the past, and regardless of what you should do, Do you know any better? Also, Aishwarya Rai dances beautifully,” the singer posted on X.
What about politicians who degrade women in their speeches to score points in a sexist landscape? #RahulGandhi Are you sure that someone has degraded your own mother or sister in a similar way in the past and, regardless of that, you should know better? Also, #AishwaryaRai dances beautifully.🙏🏾
—Sona Mohapatra (@sonamohapatra) February 21, 2024
The grand opening ceremony of the Ram Temple was presided over by Prime Minister Modi and attended by a host of celebrities. “I didn’t see any farmers there. I didn’t see any laborers or any small shopkeepers. But I did see all the billionaires and there they were giving long speeches to the media,” Rahul Gandhi said.
The Congress leader highlighted the stark contrast between the privileged few who attend grand events like the Ram Temple ceremony and the daily challenges faced by ordinary citizens.