Jaipur, February 19 Several social organizations have strongly condemned the "sexist" remarks made by BJP MLA Bahadur Singh Koli during a budget discussion in the Rajasthan Assembly and submitted a memorandum to the Speaker seeking action against him.
They said that such views expressed in the Assembly could send a wrong message to society and promote gender inequality.
Participating in the debate on Monday, Koli equated the BJP government's budget to the "birth of a boy," while denigrating the final budget of former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot as the "birth of a girl."
The BJP's budget was a "youth budget," the MLA said, "Ours is the birth of a boy, not that of a girl."
The organizations expressed their anger and disappointment over the sexist remarks and called it a reflection of a patriarchal mindset. They said that the comparison trivialized the value of daughters and reinforced outdated gender stereotypes.
Women and social activists submitted a memorandum to Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani and demanded action against the legislator.
"Such views expressed in the Legislative Assembly could send a harmful message to society and promote gender inequality. Son-preference and devaluation of daughters have long been responsible for severe social issues such as female foeticide, skewed sex ratios, and the denial of equal opportunities for women and girls," the memorandum said.
They urged the Speaker to treat the matter with utmost seriousness and exercise his powers to expunge the unparliamentary and derogatory remarks from the Assembly proceedings, issue a stern warning to the MLA, initiate disciplinary action against him, and suspend him if required, refer the issue to the Privileges Committee or Ethics Committee for further examination, and direct Koli to tender a public and unconditional apology to the women of Rajasthan.
The activists said that such comments were not only a violation of the dignity of women but also an affront to the Indian Constitution, which guarantees equality and non-discrimination.
"Failure to address the issue would set a dangerous precedent for future political discourse in the state," they said.
Representatives from organizations including People's Union for Civil Liberty, National Federation of Indian Women, Rajasthan University Women's Association, Majzoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, and independent activists submitted the memorandum on Wednesday.