By Nikhat Fatima, Twocircles.net
Sadhna Singh, the BJP MLA from Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh while addressing a gathering in Chandauli, hurled insults at BSP Supremo Mayawati by saying that Mayawati does not regard the dignity of a woman as important to a woman or womankind which is why she has compromised with people who had once insulted her dignity.
She went on to call Mayawati as being “worse than an eunuch” drawing a comparison with the mythological character of Mahabharat Draupadi who on being humiliated by the eldest son of the Kauravas had vowed to avenge her humiliation while Mayawati has instead of avenging the perpetrators who humiliated her has unabashedly comprised with them for the sake of power.
Sadhna Singh was referring to the incident that took place way back in 1994 due which the BSP and SP had become avowed enemies and had promised never to join hands again. And BSP had taken the support of the BJP to form the government in the subsequent elections. There was an attack on the MLAs of BSP by the partymen of SP at the guest house where the BSP party meeting was going on. It is said that Mayawati locked herself inside a room while her party MLAs were beaten up. It came to be infamously known as Guest House episode.
Sadhna Singh,in her speech referred to this incident akin to ‘cheerharan’ or disrobing of Mayawati, calling her a blot on womanhood which drew applause from the gathering.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hDAGux32Vs
Although hours after this controversial remark Sadha Singh issued an apology though in the begining she refused to, many trans activists and Dalit activists called it mere tokenism and not really an apology.
They said the notion of eunuch’s being lesser humans is steeped in patriarchal values and is totally discriminative.
“The idea of womanhood and Mayawati being a blot on womanhood, attaching womanhood to ‘honour’ and the ability of a woman to avenge herself is a stereotype that is endorsed in typical bollywood movies. How many rape victims, call it ‘who have been dishonored’ if you will in the language of the patriarchal society, actually avenge themselves as Draupadi or any of the woman protagonists in the movies do? What are the messages public figures like these give when they say such stuff?” said one women’s rights activist Uma to TwoCircles.net
Meera Sanghamitra, who is associated with National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) and Telangana Hijra Intersex Transgender Samithi (THITS), told TwoCircles.net “Sadhna Singh’s remarks are very transphobic and her comment is absolutely casteist and patriarchal. A legal action should be taken against her and an FIR filed under the SC/ ST (PoA) Act.”
Meera said she had tweeted her protest and anger over the derogatory remark “worst than a eunuch”, while one Twitter user asked “Is it a crime to be a eunuch?”.
. @narendramodi & . @YogiAdityanatha, your Mughalsarai MLA, Sadhna Singh has broken all records of @BJP4India netas . @M_Lekhi , . @Manekagandhibjp , . @nitin_gadkari by her patriarchal, casteist, transphobic remarks! An absolute shame!#stoptransbill2018 https://t.co/P33u4shtUE
— Meera Sanghamitra (@meeracomposes) January 19, 2019
In a country where discrimination & abuse of transgender persons is a norm, relentless public humiliation of trans identities & lives by Ministers, MPs, MLAs camouflaged as 'political critique' is the worst form of violencehttps://t.co/P33u4shtUE#stoptransbill2018 @Labia_LBT
— Meera Sanghamitra (@meeracomposes) January 19, 2019
The national commission of Women have also taken suo moto cognizance of these remarks and tweeted that it will issue a notice to the MLA.
.@NCWIndia has taken Suo Motu cognisance of the objectionable statement made by BJP MLA Ms. Sadhana Singh. The Commission will be sending a notice to Ms. Singh regarding the statement in question. https://t.co/ee1zcPzHiD
— NCW (@NCWIndia) January 20, 2019
Dalit Activist and High Court Advocate, Hyderabad, Dr. B Karthik Navayan told TwoCircles.net, “BJP MLA Sadhana Singh’s abuse eunuch to Bahujan icon Mayawati is condemnable. It reflects Sadhana singh’s upper caste arrogance. It is the caste mindset that revealed in this way. It is not only an insult to the bahujans but also to the people of third gender. She is liable to be punished according to the law.”
Many activists and lawyers feel that the NCW should issue a notice to Singh and also recommend for the removal of Singh from the post of MLA.
Many have tweeted to the party leaders demanding for an action to be taken against her.
BSP leader Ram Chandar Gautam has lodged a police complaint at Baburi Police Station asking for stringent action to be taken against Sadhna Singh for using derogatory language against Mayawati who has held the office of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh 4 times.
Although many individuals have demanded BJP to take action her, it remains to be seen if the party will take action against their MLA? And will there be a legal action against her?
Various party leaders have given such controversial and derogatory remarks on Minorities, Dalits and Women with impunity earlier. Sadhna Singh is no different from the rest.
While many leaders of different political parties have condemned this statement, Sadhna Singh’s colleague MLA Surendra Singh told the press in an interview at Ballia today that any person who has zero self respect is called a transgender. And that there is nothing wrong in what Sadhna Singh said. He goes on to say that his party will protest against the police complaint.
With his statement Surendra Singh has further insulted the trans community adding salt to their injury. With the Government of India recognizing the transgender community and decriminalising section 377 thus giving them their right to choose, these kind of regressive mind set and the statements are condemnable and call for immediate action.
“As transgender people, we condemn and denounce such casteist misogynistic and transphobic statements by BJP MLAs that put down women and transgender people. Mayawatiji is a highly respected politician who came up the hard way with no generational privilege fighting out casteist patriarchy that we as transgender people fight day in and day out. The statements of both these BJP MLAs perhaps is only perhaps reflective of their party’s casteist misogyny and transphobia that they have attempted to dehumanize a towering leader who happens to be a dalit woman on the one side and also the teeming millions of transgender people”Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli, Founding Member, Telangana Hijra Intersex Transgender Samiti (THITS) told Twocircles.net after Surendra Singh’s statement came to light.
Meera Sanghamitra meanwhile took to Twitter questioning both the Indian PM and CM of UP who have so painstakingly made arrangements for the Kumbh mela “ What is the point of bathing in the river Ganga when the BJP party itself is so full of such murky people? “
