Mr. Abdul Sattar, the Agriculture Minister and head of the Shinde camp, caused an uproar on Monday when he referred to NCP MP Mrs. Supriya Sule in insulting terms twice. He was reacting to a claim that "50 khoke ekdam ok" (everything is well because of Rs. 50 crores) had been made by Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray of the
Shiv Sena and other opposition parties to switch sides and work with the BJP to form the government.
The NCP strongly reacted to Mr. Sattar's comments by calling for his resignation within the following 24 hours. Mr. Sattar expressed regret following the uproar and the NCP's aggressive stance, claiming that he had not intended to insult women specifically, including Mrs. Sule, and that he had been speaking more generally about those who were accusing him and 39 other people of collecting funds for a rebellion against the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. Mr. Sattar asserted that he has always valued females.
"I haven't made any remarks against women. I always respect women. After receiving criticism from the NCP, Mr. Sattar remarked, "I expressed sorry if my comment affected Ms. Sule or women leaders. However, he emphasized that he did not make a comment against Mrs. Sule. Party members demonstrated against the minister across the state by taking to the streets and throwing rocks at Mr. Sattar's home in Mumbai while yelling anti-Sattar chants. The NCP activists who protested outside Mr. Sattar's home in Mumbai were detained by the police.
Amol Mitkari, Mehboob Shaikh, and Mahesh Tapase, among other
NCP leaders, criticised Mr. Sattar and said he should be removed from the government.
Mrs. Sule initially responded, "I will not speak on this episode. I won't discuss Mr. Abdul Sattar. Surprisingly, the BJP also protested Mr. Sattar's remarks about Mrs. Sule. "No party leaders should disparage women in such a way. It is unacceptable if they are overly condescending in their criticism. Nobody should profit from such comments, and the media should exercise proper caution as well," according to
BJP politician and former minister Ms. Pankaja Munde.
Image Courtesy: BMC Elections 2022