By IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, 25 July 2014: The National Commission for Women (NCW) was on Friday petitioned for action against Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy for his ‘derogatory, sexist, offensive and illegal remarks’ against married women in general and India’s tennis star Sania Mirza in particular.
“I agree with the BJP leaders that when people have divided loyalties, we cannot expect them to represent the country or any part of the country faithfully. So, the BJP stand is well taken,” Swamy was quoted as saying in the media on Thursday. He made the statement in support of Telangana BJP which had objected the state government’s decision to make Sania brand ambassador of the state saying she was daughter-in-law of Pakistan. Sania is married to Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik.
Angry with the BJP’s view, Sania said she was Indian and would remain so till her death.
Eminent lawyer activist Shehzad Poonawalla on Friday filed a petition with NCW seeking action against Swamy for questioning the loyalties of married women and Sania Mirza.
“The above remarks made by Shri Swamy are tantamount to suggesting that merely by marriage a woman’s loyalties gets divided and she becomes an anti-national! This is a completely derogatory and hypocritical stand taken by him as he does not set the same standard for married men,” Poonawalla said in his complaint.
He urged the NCW to immediately take up this matter and move the court/ police for registration of a complaint against Swamy under relevant sections of the law for making such derogatory and false statements. He also sought a show cause notice from the women’s panel to BJP seeking clarification about its stand on Swamy’s statement.
Poonawalla has sent a copy of the complaint to the Election Commission also.
