New Delhi: Dayashankar Singh, vice-president of Bharatiya Janata Party’s Uttar Pradesh unit, left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) embarrassed on Wednesday as he compared Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati with a sex worker in comments that drew criticisms from several quarters.
In an interview on Wednesday, he said in Hindi: “Mayawati is destroying BSP founder Mayawati’s vision of the party. Like a prostitute who sells her body for money, Mayawati sells party tickets to whoever is willing to pay. If she finds a bidder for Rs 1 crore, she sells it for that much. If she finds a bidder for Rs 2 crore an hour later, she’d sell it for that. … She’s worse than a woman in flesh trade”.
The comments have drawn criticisms from several quarters.
“These kind of derogatory statements show that BJP is frustrated with the growing public support for BSP,” Mayawati said.
BJP’s UP party president Keshav Maurya later apologised for the remarks.
“I think this is wrong and I apologise. Such words shouldn’t be used,” he said. “We have asked him to apologise for his remarks. If he does not apologise, we will take action.”
Opposition leaders in Parliament called the remark humiliating to a Dalit woman.
In Rajya Sabha, Leader of the House Arun Jaitley said the comments, if they had been made, were condemnable.
(Agencies)
