BJP Holds Protest Over Congress' 'Sexist' Remark on India's New Tribal President

While talking to media on Wednesday, Congress parliamentarian Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury called Draupadi Murmu a “Rashtrapatni,” which means "wife of the country," wrongly used for the president. The BJP considered it offensive and sexist and demanded an apology from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for the parliamentarian’s remark.

The federally governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday held a protest outside the parliament following remarks made by the leader of Congress party in the Lok Sabha about newly-elected President Draupadi Murmu.

Reacting sharply to Chowdhary's remark, federal minister Smriti Irani said he used the term "Rashtrapatni" knowing that it demeans Murmu and her high office, and goes against India’s values. “A tribal woman from a poor family who created history is being continuously demeaned by the Congress,” she told reporters, adding that the party should apologize to the President and the country.

The minister also suggested that Congress politicians have been targeting Murmu “maliciously” ever since the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominated her as its presidential candidate, calling her a “puppet” and “symbol of evil.”

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also slammed the Congress party for Chowdhury’s remark as she called it “deliberate sexist abuse.” “I demand an apology from the President of Congress party who herself is a woman [and] has allowed her leader to speak like that,” she said.

Several BJP parliamentarians staged a protest outside the parliament and Sitharaman was seen among them.

BJP MPs including Finance Minister @nsitharaman Ji protest against Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on his 'Rashtrapatni' remark against President Droupadi Murmu Ji and demand an apology from the Congress party@blsanthosh

VC: @ANI

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— BJP Scheduled Tribe Morcha (@BJPSTMORCHA) July 28, 2022

Meanwhile, Chowdhury termed the incident as a mere “slip of tongue” and claimed the BJP is “making mountain out of a molehill.” Whoever is the president of India, be it Brahmin, or Adivasi, "the President is the President for us,” he added.

"Just once, I said 'Rashtrapatni'...The reporter repeated it to me and I said I might have said that by mistake and it would be better if they didn't broadcast it. They (BJP) are creating a furor because of this. I made a mistake, just once and in one word," Chowdhury said in a video statement in Hindi on Twitter.

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— Adhir Chowdhury (@adhirrcinc) July 28, 2022

Draupadi Murmu was sworn-in as the 15th president of India on July 25. The 64-year-old is the first president representing the tribal community and the second woman in the post.