"Ants will swarm the place where sugar is," Samajwadi Party's Maharashtra unit chief Abu Azmi said today reacting to the molestation of women on new year eve in Bengaluru, drawing condemnation from women activists for his "misogynistic" comments and calls for his arrest.
"Boys and girls should not be allowed to roam about together freely. Western culture has made its way into India. This should stop.
"The more the nudity, the more a girl is considered fashionable. Ants will swarm the place where sugar is," Azmi said, virtually stirring a hornet's nest as women activists poured scorn on the the MLA from Shivaji Nagar in suburban Mumbai.
"I don't say all men are like that in the country, but a good 25 per cent of this country seems to be full of patriachal men who have no respect for women.. How will any country progess?
"The problem with politicising any issue is that the issue gets covered up totally and politics becomes important. It does not matter whether Abu Azmi belongs to one particular party or another.. To be brutally frank, there are men across all parties who make these disgusting statements and they are all to be condemned equally," Lalitha Kumar Mangalam, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women, said.
She said the NCW has issued summonses to both Azmi and Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara, who had stoked a controversy after he blamed the "western ways" of the youngsters for the Bengaluru molestation incident.
Azmi, known for his penchant for 'Shayari' went on to say, "Achchi soorat bhi kya buri shay hai, jisne bhi dali...Buri nazar dali (pretty face can be a cause for trouble. Whoever will cast an eye, will cast an evil eye)."
"Partying late night in half clad, blindly following western culture, has never been our culture. Ladies hailing from well-to-do families, be it from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan or UP, they come out in decent attire and mostly with their family members," he said.
"I am saying what happened is very unfortunate. Undoubtedly, making security arrangement to thwart any eventuality is police's job. But, as far as Bengaluru molestation is concerned, women and their guardians must also take precautions and think that security starts at home. Our women must think about their security themselves," Azmi said.
Defending Parameshwara's comments, Azmi said, "He said the harsh reality. Such things do happen when women try to copy the westerners, not only in their mindset but even in their dressing," he said.
"The women are pride of our family and country.
Therefore, it is our duty to safeguard them. If we allow them to follow western culture blindly, then I am sorry to say that people will misbehave with them in such ways," the SP leader said.
Stung by Azmi's remarks, activist Ranjana Kumari of Centre for Social Research, which works for gender justice, said those showed the "true colour" of Indian politicians.
"He epitomises misogyny. Such prehistoric people should be dumped in the garbage of history. Maharashtra government should register an FIR against him and arrest him. His leader Mulayam Singh Yadav had once said boys will be boys. They encourage men to try and control women. Women of Maharashtra should gherao him," she said.
Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Swati Maliwal too reacted sharply to the SP leader's comments.
"Abu Azmi says to avoid rape, women shudn't go out alone like in Saudi. Instead of making India Saudi, better Abu goes off 2 Saudi. No loss," she tweeted.
"No law to bar men esp politicians from making misogynistic statements. Abu Azmi n G Parmeshwara may become more popular after this. Pathetic," Maliwal said.
Another woman activist Brinda Adige demanded that the Samajwadi Party suspend him.
"Such people encourage men to molest women. He needs to be suspended by his party," she said.
Activist Kavita Srivastava lamented,"Whenever a woman is sexually assaulted, the victims themselves are blamed for their plight. This is unfortunate.
