Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is on Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra these days and every day some clip of his speech goes viral on social media. He starts citing random examples from anywhere when he is speaking to the audience, which leads to ridicule and frequent chaos. He recently used the name of popular actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to amplify the impact of his remark. He might have believed that bringing Aishwarya’s name would draw public attention towards him. However, he was ignorant of the extent of his offence to Aishwarya Rai.
Rahul Gandhi told the people that the media outlets would not take the opinions of the people seriously for criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his rally. He claimed, “These media houses belong to Adani and Ambani. The farmer, the labourer, and the impoverished will never be featured on their shows. Their owners say no, so they can’t do it. They can’t present India’s underprivileged in the media. The media promotes Narendra Modi throughout the day. Then sometimes Aishwarya Rai will be seen dancing following which Amitabh Bachchan will come out showcasing his moves the next second.”
Rahul Gandhi’s remark was an attempt to express his disdain for the participants in the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha programme. However, it’s unclear why he chose to drag Aishwarya’s name. She wasn’t even an attendee there. Individuals involved in the program could have been named, if he wanted to give examples. However, he did not. Over the past few days, Aishwarya Rai’s name has been brought up repeatedly by Rahul Gandhi to disparage her.
It should be noted that he is not the only leader to use the names of female artists in his speeches and statements to bring attention to himself by mentioning their work, skin tone or colour.
Actress Trisha was paid 25 lakh rupees to come to the resort — a Tamil Nadu leader issued an apology for the objectionable statement
The most recent instance involves a leader from the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Leader AV Raju alleged that actress Trisha was invited by an MLA to a resort for entertainment in exchange for Rs 25 lakh. The actress had voiced her displeasure and threatened to take legal action in response to AV Raju’s remarks. The leader later conveyed regret and apologised to her in response to witnessing this reaction.
However, the issue remains as to whether this culture of dehumanizing actresses for politics would endure in this manner.
Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan’s statement on actress Jaya Prada’s underwear
Samajwadi Party MP Azam Khan made a contentious remark regarding actress Jaya Prada’s underwear in 2019. At a public gathering in Shahabad, Azam Khan made offensive statements about former Parliamentarian and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Jaya Prada. He announced, “It took you 17 years to understand her reality,” referring to Jaya Prada. He added, “It took me 17 days to realize that the underwear she wears is khaki in colour.”
Jaya Prada’s convoy is on the way, and evenings of Rampur will be colourful now — Samajwadi Party leader Firoz Khan
Firoz Khan, another leader of the Samajwadi Party also made crude comments about Jaya Prada in March of 2019. He recounted an incident where, while travelling by bus, Jaya’s convoy passed by which caused traffic congestion. He got out of the vehicle, tried to have a look at her and wondered if she started dancing to clear out the traffic. After his disgusting thinking and lewd remarks about Jaya Prada, he claimed that Rampur’s evenings would now be colourful in this election season.
Roads like actress Hema Malini’s cheeks
Hema Malini’s cheeks were also the subject of comments made by PC Sharma, Congress leader and a minister in the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh. He claimed that the roads in Bhopal have turned into something akin to Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kailash Vijayvargiya’s cheeks after noticing the potholes in the pavement. He boasted, “The road will be gleaming in 15 to 20 days and will resemble Hema Malini’s cheeks.”
Movie actresses also have families
None of the remarks made by these politicians are respectful. On the other hand, these women, Aishwarya Rai, Hema Malini, Jaya Prada, and Trisha Krishnan of the South among others have all put in a lot of work in their fields and have achieved a level of success that has rendered them well-known to the nation’s youth and elderly. These leaders are taking advantage of their success by using their names in public to start a conversation. They might not realize how offensive they are until they step outside of their comfort zone.
The whole country knows that Rahul Gandhi talks about women’s respect from time to time. When an unfortunate incident transpires in a state governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, he goes there right away under the pretext of aiding women and providing them with justice, however, Rahul Gandhi remains silent about states held by his party.
Similarly, in politics, they forget that the lofty promises of “women’s dignity” they put inside their manifestos also comprise females like Aishwarya Rai, Trisha Krishnan and others. These women are also the sisters, mothers and daughters of someone. Their fame ascended to such heights solely through diligence and hard work. How can their names be tossed around in such a derogatory manner in public? Can these politicians hear such things about daughters and sisters in their homes?
Opposition to Rahul Gandhi’s statement today indicates that the people he is attempting to represent are smarter than he is. They are reminding him that Aishwarya Rai’s success in the movie industry is far more significant than his achievements in the political field. At least he can make his point without stooping to such low levels. People are aware of her, value her contributions, admire her and even draw lessons from her struggles.