Congress MP Gurudas Kamat on Saturday was served a notice by the National Commission for women for calling Human Resource Development minister Smriti Irani a “poncha karne wali” – a woman who swabs floors. At a meeting organised by the Rajasthan Congress in Pali on Thursday, Kamat said in Hindi, “If a chaiwala can become prime minister, then why not a ponchawali as education minister?”
Kamath, and the Congress Party which has spoken in his defence, appear to believe that manual work is a disqualification for high office. Not unexpectedly, a great deal of heat has been generated at the Congress’s instinctive elitism and its lack of empathy with working people. In the cynical contest between political parties over who has more concern for the mass of India’s people, the Congress has handed the BJP an ace.
However, this is only a small part of the egregious comments Kamath made about Irani and about the Prime Minister. Using words laden with innuendo that have largely been ignored by the media, the five-time Congress MP for Bombay North East, appeared to suggest that Irani had used feminine wiles to persuade a smitten Prime Minister to make her HRD minister.
Standing in front of a party banner with pictures of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Sachin Pilot, Kamat said, “What part of education has this education minister imparted to Modi-ji, she only knows. The whole country wants to know, what is so special about Smriti Irani?”
To raucous hooting and whistles from the audience Kamat continued: “While doing his ‘man ki baat’, has it become a matter of the heart? It is necessary to think about this too. There is something the Prime Minister holds dear, there is something there that neither you nor I know… It’s as much about the heart, as about the head.”
Women politicians in India have regularly been the targets of vile abuse and sexism. Congress party satraps called Indira Gandhi a “dumb doll”, Congress leader GK Moopanar called Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha “a dancing girl” and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has been called “an ugly woman”, among other things, by Samajwadi Party leaders. West Bengal MPs once suggested that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had a choice between being “an angel or a whore” and Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi was called “the Italian bitch” by Hindutva hardlier Pravin Togadia. More recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called called her “a jersey cow”.
But, Kamath’s speech marks a new low in sexist and abusive name-calling. He has attacked Irani not for the work she has done or not done as a minister, but in order to belittle her life choices and earlier professional success, to suggest they disqualify her for political life and demean her by implying slyly that she owes her high office only to a man’s romantic or sexual interest in her.
Congress defence
What makes this worse is that Irani is a soft target for what in the grubby world of Indian politics will be understood as an attack on Modi. Kamat’s party has left us in no doubt that this was his intention. Archana Sharma, of the Rajasthan Congress, defended Gurudas Kamat explaining that he had said Narendra Modi had been impressed by Irani’s performance in a “saas-bahu” TV serial and that is why he had “given her a portfolio for which she does not have the minimum qualifications…”
The media, by and large, has only broadcast sections of Kamat’s speech in which he calls Irani a “poncha lagane wali”, displaying its unwillingness to deal with the much larger problem of sexism in politics. Criticism of Kamat’s speech, including from other political parties has, as a result, been limited to how this reflects the Congress’s derision and contempt for working people and the poor. Even Irani’s women parliamentary colleagues have been silent, although only a few short months ago, following comments by Sharad Yadav of the Janata Dal (United) about southern Indian women, both house of parliament heard fiery speeches about the unacceptability of sexism in parliament and in society.
The National Commission for Women, however, has taken cognisance of Kamat’s speech and asked him to explain his “offensive” comments about Irani. This is possibly the first time that the commission has weighed in on behalf of a politician and a cabinet minister. Perhaps this will set in motion a process that will make such sexist attacks unacceptable in Indian politics.
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Kamath, and the Congress Party which has spoken in his defence, appear to believe that manual work is a disqualification for high office. Not unexpectedly, a great deal of heat has been generated at the Congress’s instinctive elitism and its lack of empathy with working people. In the cynical contest between political parties over who has more concern for the mass of India’s people, the Congress has handed the BJP an ace.
However, this is only a small part of the egregious comments Kamath made about Irani and about the Prime Minister. Using words laden with innuendo that have largely been ignored by the media, the five-time Congress MP for Bombay North East, appeared to suggest that Irani had used feminine wiles to persuade a smitten Prime Minister to make her HRD minister.
Standing in front of a party banner with pictures of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Sachin Pilot, Kamat said, “What part of education has this education minister imparted to Modi-ji, she only knows. The whole country wants to know, what is so special about Smriti Irani?”
To raucous hooting and whistles from the audience Kamat continued: “While doing his ‘man ki baat’, has it become a matter of the heart? It is necessary to think about this too. There is something the Prime Minister holds dear, there is something there that neither you nor I know… It’s as much about the heart, as about the head.”
Women politicians in India have regularly been the targets of vile abuse and sexism. Congress party satraps called Indira Gandhi a “dumb doll”, Congress leader GK Moopanar called Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha “a dancing girl” and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has been called “an ugly woman”, among other things, by Samajwadi Party leaders. West Bengal MPs once suggested that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had a choice between being “an angel or a whore” and Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi was called “the Italian bitch” by Hindutva hardlier Pravin Togadia. More recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called called her “a jersey cow”.
But, Kamath’s speech marks a new low in sexist and abusive name-calling. He has attacked Irani not for the work she has done or not done as a minister, but in order to belittle her life choices and earlier professional success, to suggest they disqualify her for political life and demean her by implying slyly that she owes her high office only to a man’s romantic or sexual interest in her.
Congress defence
What makes this worse is that Irani is a soft target for what in the grubby world of Indian politics will be understood as an attack on Modi. Kamat’s party has left us in no doubt that this was his intention. Archana Sharma, of the Rajasthan Congress, defended Gurudas Kamat explaining that he had said Narendra Modi had been impressed by Irani’s performance in a “saas-bahu” TV serial and that is why he had “given her a portfolio for which she does not have the minimum qualifications…”
The media, by and large, has only broadcast sections of Kamat’s speech in which he calls Irani a “poncha lagane wali”, displaying its unwillingness to deal with the much larger problem of sexism in politics. Criticism of Kamat’s speech, including from other political parties has, as a result, been limited to how this reflects the Congress’s derision and contempt for working people and the poor. Even Irani’s women parliamentary colleagues have been silent, although only a few short months ago, following comments by Sharad Yadav of the Janata Dal (United) about southern Indian women, both house of parliament heard fiery speeches about the unacceptability of sexism in parliament and in society.
The National Commission for Women, however, has taken cognisance of Kamat’s speech and asked him to explain his “offensive” comments about Irani. This is possibly the first time that the commission has weighed in on behalf of a politician and a cabinet minister. Perhaps this will set in motion a process that will make such sexist attacks unacceptable in Indian politics.