Moushumi Chatterjee Tells Woman Anchor To Wear Saree, Not Pants

BJP leader and yesteryear Bollywood actress, Moushumi Chatterjee, sparked off a controversy with sexist remarks about clothes women should wear. At an event in Surat, Gujarat, Chatterjee took a dig at the woman anchor who was introducing the guests, saying: “Your clothes are inappropriate. You should have worn a saree or a dress.”

She also said, "You can’t wear jeans to the temple. In temples, you can wear traditional dresses. Wear salwar kameez, saris, even ghaghra choli. It is easier. We are an example to the world for our tradition and culture."

Following an outrage over her statement, Chatterjee defended her statement. She said: “It was just an advice. I advised her as a mother, not as a BJP leader. I also asked her to not take it in a wrong way. As a woman, I have all the right to teach the youth what they should wear, where and when.”

The anchor, however, has chosen not to comment on the incident.

1. #moushumichatterjee telling women to dress properly.
2. #moushumichatterjee showing what was proper dress in her time.
3. #moushumichatterjee saying she won't allow her daughter to dress like that in a public function.
4. #moushumichatterjee's daughter at a public function. pic.twitter.com/sDTXBTMOL5

— Akash Banerjee (@akashbanerjee) January 24, 2019

In the interview, Chatterjee was asked about her decision to join the BJP and she said, “Joining BJP is not my proof of patriotism. I am doing my bit for the nation.”

She also said, “I am a Modi fan."

The actor had contested the 2004 Lok Sabha election on a Congress ticket and lost.

Sexist remarks about how women should dress come every now and then. Be it the Kozhikode professor who ridiculed female students in his college for revealing their breasts like "slices of watermelon" or a college principal from Mumbai who said PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) happens to women who dress like men, there is no stopping such ridiculous comments. It is high time that moral policing on women stops. When it comes to women political leaders, people expect them to be more responsible in what they say. Clearly, leaders like Chatterjee need to think before they shoot off their mouth.

Chatterjee last seen in Amitabh Bachchan-starred Piku in 2015.

Sonakshi Goel is an intern at SheThePeople.TV

Picture Credit: SpotboyE

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