President Pranab Mukherjee's son Abhijit stoked a major controversy by describing women participating in Delhi protests against gangrape of a student as ‘highly dented and painted’, triggering angry backlash.
“Those who are coming in the name of students in the rallies, sundori, sundori mahila (beautiful women), highly dented and painted,” Abhijit Mukherjee, an MP from Jangipur seat which the President had vacated before his election, told a vernacular news channel.
“Giving interviews in TV and showing off their children. I wonder whether they are students at all,” he said, adding, “what’s basically happening in Delhi is something like pink revolution, which has very little connection with ground realities.”
As his “insensitive” remarks sparked outrage with even his sister Sharmistha expressing “utter shock and anguish” and apologising on his behalf, Abhijit “withdrew” his comments and said they were not meant to hurt “any particular section or any particular sentiment”.
“I express my utter shock and anguish. I really apologise to every women, man and every sensitive person in this country... I am utterly shocked and only thing I can say is that I really apologise on his behalf... I am quite surprised with what my brother said,” Sharmistha said.
Asked whether Abhijit should apologise for his words, she said, “I completely agree. He should immediately apologise.
“Not only as a President’s son, but as any sensitive man, he should not have made this kind of statement. Forget about being a political leader, it shows a certain degree of insensitivity... My family is not like that,” she said.