Samajwadi Party’s Maharashtra unit chief Abu Azmi on Tuesday became the latest in a long list of politicians to indulge in victim blaming. The SP leader said that ‘nudity’ in women’s fashion was to blame for the Bengaluru molestation incidents on New Year’s Eve.
“In these modern times, the more women are naked, the more fashionable, modern and educated they are considered. And this is increasing in the country. This is a blot on our culture,” he said.
The politician, who is incidentally the father-in-law of Bollywood actress Ayesha Takia, said about the incidents: “It's regrettable, a case should be registered. But if we say anything against girls and boys going out together, we are called old-fashioned. In Indian culture, there should be propriety in how men and women meet.”
New Year revelry turned into a nightmare for several women who were allegedly molested despite huge police presence at a large gathering in Bengaluru, sparking nationwide outrage.
Azmi also defended Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara, who stirred a controversy by blaming the youngsters’ “Western ways” for the incidents.
“He (Parameshwara) said the harsh reality. These kind of things do happen when women try to copy Westerners, not only in their mindset but even in their dressing,” he said.
Source: PTI
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