NEW DELHI: West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim stirred controversy after referring to BJP leader Rekha Patra as "maal" while discussing her Lok Sabha election defeat to the Trinamool Congress in Basirhat.
The comment received strong backlash from the BJP, with leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari calling it "outrageous" and demanding action against Hakim.
In a video response, Rekha stated, "It is very shocking and very shameful that TMC minister and very close... so-called the right hand of our chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Firhad Hakim, has called the women of Bengal 'maal'. 'Maal' is a very cheap, sleazy word... a very disrespectful word towards the women, and I am sure that not only 'janab' Firhad Hakim but all the MPs, MLAs, and the party members of TMC think that the women of Bengal are 'maal', which is 'bhogya vastu'."
"We are not very shocked 'janab' Firhad Hakim because this is the way your government has been treating you," she added further.
This incident follows a recent controversy in Maharashtra, where Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Arvind Sawant referred to Shaina NC as "imported maal."
After a senior Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leader made misogynistic remarks, Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC responded on Sunday, stating, "I am a woman, not a commodity ('Mahila hoon, maal nahi')." Shaina, who recently joined Shiv Sena after leaving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is contesting the upcoming assembly elections from Mumbadevi constituency.
"They should not make the mistake of thinking of me as some helpless woman. I have been working in politics for the last 20 years and have fought for the rights of women. I will continue to fight like this in the future. I am a woman, not a commodity (Mahila hoon, maal nahi)," Shaina NC asserted in a statement on X.
She condemned Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Arvind Sawant for making "derogatory" remarks against her and appealed to women party workers to stand with her in solidarity.
(With inputs from agencies)
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