Karnataka Minister Kumaraswamy Issues A Non-Apology For “Women Gone Astray” Remark. Another Day, Another Politician..
We're not surprised!
I don’t understand why do politicians make demeaning statements for women after which they have to end up apologising for it? They are clearly not taking lessons from the ones who have already done it. Well, currently the Janata Dal leader Kumaraswamy is facing the heat for making an unwanted statement on women during his election speech, but has now issued an apology yet a non-apology for the same. During one of his speeches, he commented on the Government’s schemes for women and that it had led them astray.
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Janata Dal leader Kumaraswamy’s Comment
JD leader and former Chief Minister of Karnataka Kumaraswamy has issued an apology for making an insulting statement about the women of the state. For the unversed, while commenting on the Gruha Lakshmi scheme by the Congress government, Kumaraswamy stated that the women are getting Rs 2000 from the government after stealing Rs 5000-6000 from their husbands. Kumarswamy was trying to make the women aware that they should not fall for this scheme. While doing so, he also stated that the “mothers of the village were going astray” after the five schemes were announced by the government. He had also advised the women to think about their families as well.
After a backlash by the various government officials from the opposition and a protest by the Mahila Congress, the Janata Dal minister addressed the issue and apologised for his statement during a press conference. He apologised but clarified that he did not say any words to hurt the feelings of women and that the opposition had blown his statements out of proportion just to make it sound like a big mistake.
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Well, not the first time when a politician commented on how women should think and that they should put their families first. From commenting on the woman’s dress to their profession, ministers have always made the mistake of passing demeaning comments. But is an apology enough? This is a problematic mindset that is deeply embedded in society and probably an apology will change nothing. Will it change the perspectives of some of the leaders who are election candidates, and can probably represent the public in future? It’s high time that politicians understand the gravity of their speeches and the kind of mindset they project through them, especially when we are already living in a patriarchal society.
