New Delhi: Chandrakant Patil the chief of BJP in Maharashtra on Wednesday was involved in controversy as he targeted Supriya Sule, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader during a protest saying, "If you don't understand politics, go home and cook".
The sexist remark made during a tiff over OBC reservation in Maharashtra has triggered widespread outrage.
According to NDTV, Supriya Sule, whose party is a part of an alliance with Shiv Sena and Congress, had compared Maharashtra's fight for OBC quota with Madhya Pradesh, raising question about BJP ruled state getting green-light for quota in local election from the apex court. The BJP leader apparently took offence to that and reacted with offensive statement.
Ms Sule, at a party meeting shared that she had tried to contact Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister during his Delhi visit, but was not given an answer as to how their state got such a reprieve from the Supreme Court. "The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh came to Delhi and met 'someone'... I don't know what suddenly happened over the next two days and they got a go-ahead for OBC reservations", she said in Marathi.
Patil, upon hearing these comments testily reacted saying, "Why are you even in politics? Just go home and cook. Go to Delhi or to a cemetery, but get us the OBC quota. Despite being a Lok Sabha member, how come you don't know how to get an appointment with a Chief Minister?"
NCP took offence to the statement, and even advised Mr Patil to "learn making chapattis so he can help his wife at home".
Ajit Pawar Deputy Maharashtra Chief Minister, who is also Ms Sule's cousin said, "He has not right to speak like that. He has no right to speak that way about my sister".
Sadanand Sule, Ms Sule's husband took to twitter to post the exchange, and called out the BJP as a "misogynistic" party.
"I am proud of my wife who is a homemaker, mother and a SUCCESSFUL politician, one amongst many other hardworking and talented women in India...this is an insult to all women...," Mr Sule commented in a thread.
Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress coalition has been accused by the BJP of not doing enough for the OBC quota, while the Maharashtra government puts the blame on the Centre for failing to provide adequate data.