BJP MP scolds woman over ‘not wearing bindi’, stirs row

According to the video, which went viral on social media on Thursday, Muniswamy stopped at the stall during the inspection and asked whether her husband was alive. “Wear a bindi first. Is your husband not alive? You have no common sense,” the MP is heard saying.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP S Muniswamy triggered a controversy on Wednesday after he shouted at a female vendor in the Kolar district for not wearing a ‘bindi’ on her forehead “despite her husband being alive”.

BJP MP S Muniswamy triggered a controversy after he shouted at a female vendor in Kolar for not wearing a ‘bindi’ on her forehead “ (AFP)

Muniswamy, an MP from Kolar, was caught on camera berating the woman at an exhibition, where he was an attendee, in the district.

According to the video, which went viral on social media on Thursday, Muniswamy stopped at the stall during the inspection and asked whether her husband was alive.

“Wear a bindi first. Is your husband not alive? You have no common sense,” the MP is heard saying.

His associates were also heard saying that the woman had no common sense. HT can verify the authenticity of the video.

Muniswamy’s remarks and the day of the incident, International Women’s Day, elicited sharp criticism from social media users.

Opposition Congress also condemned the statements and said such incidents “reflect the culture” of the BJP.

“BJP MPs are questioning that women are not wearing a bindi. Let @BJP4Karnataka answer people’s questions before questioning them. Why was GST arrears not claimed? Why didn’t you raise your voice when injustice was done to Karnataka and Kannada?” Karnataka Congress tweeted.

“The BJP will turn India into a ‘Hindutva Iran.’ The Ayatollahs of the BJP will have their version of the ‘Moral Police’ patrolling the streets,” Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram said in response to the video.

Congress MLA Priyank Kharge slammed the BJP MP for being “drunk with power” while being “blind to increasing atrocities against women.”

“BJP MP can notice if a woman is wearing a bindi or not, but is blind to increasing atrocities on women or women out of the workforce. They are so drunk with power. The battle in Karnataka is not about Tipu & Savarkar, it is about Manusmriti v/s Constitution,” Kharge said.

HT couldn’t get a comment from the BJP on the matter.