Baba Ramdev's comment on women starts controversy

New Delhi: Yoga guru and Patanjali Ayurved founder Baba Ramdev has set off a controversy with his comments on women's clothes. Speaking at an event in Thane, he said women can look good in anything - saree, salwar kameez, or even when they wear nothing.

Amruta Fadnavis, the wife of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's son Shrikant Shinde were present. "I see everyone looks very happy. You have a happy fortune too. Those in front got a chance to wear sarees. Those at the back did not get a chance. They probably packed and brought sarees from home but did not have time to change," he said with a smile.

"You look beautiful in a saree. You also look good in salwar suits, like Amruta ji. And if like me, someone does not wear it, that also looks good. You wear clothes for social norms. Children don't have to wear any. We used to roam naked till the age of eight or 10 years. It is only these days that children wear five layers of clothes," he further said with a laugh.

The event took place on Friday and a video of the speech was tweeted by Delhi Women's Commission chief Swati Maliwal. She said Ramdev should apologise to the country. She further said about the video: "The remarks made by Swami Ramdev on women in front of the wife of the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra are indecent and condemnable. All women have been hurt by this statement, Baba Ramdev ji should apologise to the country for this statement."

In the video, women in the audience are seen looking at each other with discomfort.

Trinamool Congress's Mahua Moitra also slammed Ramdev's statement and tweeted: "Now I know why Patanjali baba ran away from Ramlila Maidan in women's clothes. He says he likes sarees, salwars and...Clearly got strabismus in his brain that makes his views so lop-sided."

The Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena called out Amrutha Fadnavis who was present at the dais when the comment was made. They asked why she did not protest against Ramdev's statements. Senior party leader Sanjay Raut said: "The government remains silent when the Governor makes an insulting remark on Shivaji, when Karnataka Chief Minister threatens to take Maharashtra villages to Karnataka, and now when BJP campaigner Ramdev insults women. Has the government mortgaged its tongue to Delhi?"