5 Statements By Indian Politicians That Received Severe Backlash

The words of people at power have a significant impact on the public. For example, in a mass gathering, when politicians propagate wrong ideas, it has a devastating impact on the youth. People in power, like politicians, CEOs, and even teachers in classrooms, have a platform that amplifies their voice. Their words influence how people think about important issues. By framing an issue in a particular way, they can sway public opinion and potentially lead to changes in social norms.

For example, Yogi Adityanath once wrote, “a home gets destroyed when women become as effective as men.” About 33 per cent women reservation in legislatures, he wrote that the position of women following reservation in panchayats and other local bodies should be “reviewed”.

“Evaluate how it affects the necessary and important role of women in family and upbringing of children. Decide that if women are given participation equivalent to men in politics and life outside, then whether our mother, daughter and sister would lose their form and significance,” he wrote, stressing that “whatever is seen so far is not very encouraging, but still it (reservation) needs to be continued as an experiment”.

Thus, it is extremely important for such people to choose their words carefully, otherwise they must brace themselves to face the consequences. Here are 5 statements some well-known Indian politicians made in the past, which drew flak:

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Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister, Tirath Singh Rawat, in March 2021, faced severe backlash owing to his comments at an event where he described the attire of a woman who once sat next to him in a flight. The woman was wearing boots, ripped jeans and several bangles. To which he said:

Nupur Sharma’s derogatory comments triggered the terrorist network Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent (AQIS). They issued a statement condemning the remarks from the BJP officials and called for revenge, warning they will “find refuge neither in their homes nor in their fortified army cantonments.”

Moreover, Qatar, Kuwait, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran, among others, summoned India’s ambassadors, and the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation issued statements of condemnation. 

Congress president at the time, Rahul Gandhi had in January 2017, drew flak for saying he saw the Congress party’s symbol ‘hand’ in the hand of Guru Nanak.

Speaking at a Congress convention at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi,  he said his party’s symbol (hand) is omnipresent in every religion and it signifies that people of any religion should not fear the government as Congress is with them.

Yogi Adityanath had written an essay on the role of women in Indian culture on his website Matrushakti Bharatiya Sanskriti Sandharbh Mein, a part of which said:At an election rally in April 2015, party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav dismissed a gang-rape in Mumbai’s abandoned Shakti Mills with the declaration that “boys are boys”.

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