Cong seeks Modi's apology for 'nati' remark

Congress today demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of making a sexiest remark at the launch of the Pradhan Mantra MUDRA Yojana yesterday where he used the word 'nati' to highlight the importance of value addition and advertisement.
Party spokesperson Shobha Oza alleged that the use of the word 'nati' by Modi in his address showed his gender bias as the expression was not only anti-women but also against those women who came from a section of the backward classes.
Oza, who is also the president of All India Mahila Congress, wanted Modi to apologise for the remark.

Incidentally, in Gujarati and Marathi, "nati" means 'actress'.
The Prime Minister had used the word while underlining the importance of packaging, branding and advertising for small enterprises so that they can scale up their business ventures.
Giving an example, Modi had said a mango grower can add value to his product at local level by making pickle and can also do wonders for himself by packaging it well.
"If he sells mango, he gets a little money. If he makes pickles, he makes more money. And, if that pickle is packed in a nice bottle, he gets much more. If he puts the bottle in the hands of a 'nati' for advertisement, he will get still more money," he had said.

The MUDRA Bank, the legal structure of which will be put in place within a year, will provide loans ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh to small businesses.