RJD Leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui Stirs Row With His 'Lipstick And Bob-Cut Hairstyle' Remark On Women Quota

RJD senior leader and former Bihar minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui has kicked up a row with his remark the quota under women reservation bill, in its present form, would only benefit women with “lipstick and bob-cut hairstyle”.

“If benefits of women’s reservation go to EBC and OBC women, it will work fine. Otherwise, women with lipstick and bob-cut hair will take quota away,”IE report quoted him as having said.

He as per the report also said there was a need for greater awareness on women’s quota.

BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan said, “Siddiqui’s remarks reflect the patriarchal, archaic and medieval mindset of the RJD. It is also a well-known fact that RJD is premised on family-based politics. Why has the RJD failed to create a good woman leader all these years? The RJD has been playing politics of separation and divide. As for Siddiqui, he can send his son to study at Harvard but is averse to a level-playing field for women at home,” the report mentioned.

Shehzad Poonawalla, also a BJP national spokesperson, slammed the INDIA bloc, saying Siddiqui’s remarks show the “thought process” of the Opposition parties, the report said.

“No leader of the INDI alliance or Congress party has condemned the statement, which means they agree with it… In Parliament earlier, we have seen the SP and RJD tearing copies of the women’s reservation Bill,” Poonawalla said, the report mentioned.

RJD national spokesperson Subodh Kumar said, “Siddiqui was addressing villagers and cited the ‘lipstick and bob-cut hair’ example to explain things in a simple manner. He is a veteran politician, having worked with socialist icon Karpoori Thakur. What he said should be seen in a broader context. The spirit of his speech was in sync with the party line,” the report.

Meanwhile, Siddiqui as per the report  said: “Since I was interacting with a rural audience in Muzaffarpur, I used lipstick and bob-cut hair references to explain how women’s quota benefits should filter to EBC and OBC women from the urban group. If my words have hurt someone, I apologise for it.”

At the same time, he said he was talking along the RJD’s stated position of having a quota-within-quota in the women’s Bill.