BJP MLA Bahadur Singh Koli equated BJP budget to "birth of a boy" and Gehlot's to "birth of a girl" in Assembly debate.
Social groups criticised remarks as promoting son-preference and outdated stereotypes, submitting memorandum to Speaker.
Activists demand expunging comments, warning, suspension, and public apology to uphold constitutional equality.
Rajasthan Social Groups Demand Action Against BJP MLA Bahadur Singh For Sexist Budget Remarks
Activists condemn patriarchal comments in Assembly, urge Speaker to intervene
Summary
Several social organisations in Rajasthan have condemned sexist remarks by BJP MLA Bahadur Singh Koli during a budget discussion in the state Assembly and submitted a memorandum to the Speaker demanding action against him.
According to PTI, the groups criticised Koli for equating the BJP government's budget to the "birth of a boy" and the previous budget under former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to the "birth of a girl" while participating in the debate on Monday.
PTI reported that Koli described the current budget as a "youth budget", stating: "Ours is the birth of a boy, not that of a girl."
The organisations said the comments reflected a patriarchal mindset, trivialised the value of daughters and reinforced outdated gender stereotypes. They warned that such views expressed in the Legislative Assembly could send a harmful message to society and promote gender inequality. Son-preference and the devaluation of daughters had long been responsible for severe social issues such as female foeticide, skewed sex ratios and the denial of equal opportunities for women and girls, the memorandum noted.
Representatives from the People's Union for Civil Liberties, National Federation of Indian Women, Rajasthan University Women's Association, Majdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan and independent activists submitted the memorandum to Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani on Wednesday.
They urged the Speaker to treat the matter with utmost seriousness and exercise his powers to expunge the unparliamentary and derogatory remarks from the Assembly proceedings, issue a stern warning to the MLA, initiate disciplinary action against him and suspend him if required, refer the issue to the Privileges Committee or Ethics Committee for further examination, and direct Koli to tender a public and unconditional apology to the women of Rajasthan.
The activists described the remarks as not only a violation of the dignity of women but also an affront to the Indian Constitution, which guarantees equality and non-discrimination. PTI reported that the groups added that failure to address the issue would set a dangerous precedent for future political discourse in the state.
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(With inputs from PTI)
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