The allegation of Priyank Kharge, Congress MLA, that women have to sleep with someone to get jobs in the BJP government has triggered an angry response from the ruling party. BJP leaders, including Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi and the former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, described this as an insult to women and demanded that he tender an apology to women of the State.
Speaking to presspersons after hoisting the national flag at his home in Hubballi on Saturday, Mr. Joshi said Mr. Kharge’s remarks showed his low-level thinking. “No one should speak against women in this manner and no woman will tolerate it. Mr. Kharge has disgraced the women folk by his low-level remarks and should apologise to them,” he said.
Mr. Joshi said the former Minister’s statement also showed the pathetic State of the Congress. At least Mr. Kharge should have learnt something from his father, Mr. Joshi said, challenging him to win the next election.
Defends remark
Meanwhile, Mr. Kharge took to Twitter on Saturday to defend his statement. Mentioning that truth was always bitter, he sought to know why a Union Minister and then a State Minister were asked to resign if there were no such instances of debauchery and corruption. He also sought to know why a series of Ministers, MLAs, and MPs brought injunction order from court.
Ready to apologise
Later in the day, Mr. Kharge took to Facebook to say that he was ready to apologise if anyone was hurt by his statement and he never intended to demean women in any way through his statement.
Mentioning various instances pertaining to BJP leaders, including Ministers and MLAs who were caught in disgraceful acts that demeaned women, Mr. Kharge said no BJP leader had demanded an apology them. And now as his press conference regarding the KPTCL recruitment scam had irked the BJP leadership, it was now trying to twist the narrative to suit its needs and cover up the whole issue, Mr. Kharge said in his Facebook post.
