‘Women Look Good Even If They Don’t Wear Anything’: Ramdev’s Remarks Spark Controversy

Ramdev also urged the people to remain happy and smiling to live a long life.

India
By Rohini Rajhansh

Yoga guru Ramdev has landed at the center of a fresh controversy after he commented on women’s attire, drawing criticism from political and social circles. At an event in the presence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s wife Amruta Fadnavis, he said “women look good even if they don’t wear anything” like him.

Addressing a Yoga training program in Maharashtra’s Thane on Friday, he purportedly said, “Women look good in saris, they look great in salwar suits, and in my view, they look good even if they don’t wear anything like me.”

On the occasion, Ramdev also urged the people to remain happy and smiling, similar to Amruta to live a long life.

He interacted with women who had brought their yoga attires and saris for the conclave and attended a training camp conducted by Ramdev. Since the meeting started soon after the training camp, many women did not get time to change and attended it in their Yoga suits.

Observing this, Ramdev said that there was no problem if they had no time to switch to saris and they could do it after going home, and then made his remark — termed as “sexist” in some quarters.

Thane’s Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, along with other prominent personalities were also present on the occasion.

Ramdev Receives Flak For Comment

Taking a serious note of Ramdev’s controversial statement, the Maharashtra State Women Commission’s chairperson Rupali Chakankar on Saturday served a notice to the latter asking him to clarify his stand in three days.

The Yoga guru’s comment was also condemned by Opposition parties in Maharashtra and other parts of the country.

Slamming Ramdev for the remark, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut slammed Ramdev for the comment and asked why Amruta did not raise a protest when the remark was made. “The government remains silent when the Governor makes an insulting remark on Shivaji, when Karnataka chief minister threatens to take Maharashtra villages to Karnataka and now when BJP campaigner Ramdev insults women. Has the government kept its tongue in mortgage to Delhi?” Raut said.

Workers of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) staged a protest condemning Ramdev’s comment and garlanded his photo with a pair of chappals.

Maharastra Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant claimed that the Yoga guru’s real mindset has been exposed by his statement.

Objecting to the remark, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal demanded Ramdev to apologise for insulting women. “Swami Ramdev’s remarks on women in front of the wife of the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra are indecent and condemnable. All women have been hurt by this statement, Baba Ramdevji should apologise to the country for this statement!” Maliwal tweeted.

The Telangana Mahila Congress workers also demanded stern action against Ramdev for making derogatory statements against women. They staged a protest and burnt an effigy of Ramdev at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad.

‘Indians Following Mao, Marx Their Illegitimate Children’

Meanwhile, speaking at the inauguration of the 68th National Convention of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in Jaipur on Friday, Ramdev called the Indian followers of Mao Zedong and Karl Marx their “illegitimate children”, adding Indians have blood relation with Lord Ram and Lord Krishna, and sages.

“We Indians have a blood relation with Shri Ram and Shri Krishna… we are the children of sages, learned people, great and mighty people.

“With the glory of the past, and the bravery of the present, India should lead the whole world in all fields in the coming times, and this great responsibility should be taken by the ABVP,” he added.

Ramdev further said: “We have many challenges before us. Many disciples of Marx and Mao roam around in India. Are they related by blood? They are illegitimate children. But our blood relation is with Lord Shri Ram, Krishna, Vivekananda, and sages.

“Born in India, the so-called communists who taught the lessons of communism and secularism should go to Xi Jinping (Chinese President) once… if you want to see more socialism, then go to Kim Jong-un (North Korean leader). They will get to know each other… I am answering logically. Intellectually sick are intellectually bankrupt in the name of socialism and communism,” Ramdev added.

He also said that he never thought that he would become the “world’s greatest yoga teacher”.

Rohini Rajhansh
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