TMC Leader Akhil Giri Pulled Up For Body Shaming President Murmu
Anukriti is a student who dabbles in writing when she finds time.
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By Anukriti Roy
First publised on 2022-11-14 06:33:47
About the Author
Anukriti is a student who dabbles in writing when she finds time.
View all posts by this Author
The
patriarchal mentality considers women as objects and child-rearing machines which
means they are evaluated by their looks. Even if men are not good-looking (this
is a subjective term and should not be used but is being used repeatedly in this
article to highlight the discrimination), they prefer their female partners (or
those in public service, as in the instant case) to be perfect as per the 'values' society associates with them - mainly, fair complexioned, slim with long hair
and demure. Any woman that does not fit in to this description is often
body-shamed.
It is against
this backdrop that we must see what Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Bengal
prisons minister Akhil Giri spoke about President Murmu. To a wildly cheering
group of supporters, Giri said that President Murmu is not good-looking, is
she? And they laughed, clapped and said no. So now the President of India will
be evaluated by her looks as per the wishes of a politician and not by her
work. Giri was angry that the BJP had said that he was ugly (or not good
looking) and to show that not all politicians or those who hold public office
are not good looking, he made the obnoxious comparison.
The TMC has
distanced itself from Giri's remarks and he has been reprimanded. Meanwhile,
BJP leader Locket Chatterjee has lodged an FIR against Giri for "insulting the
President". The TMC, which has sent many good looking film actors from Bengal
to the Lok Sabha, must impress upon Giri that looks do not matter and body
shaming, if it is made with reference to the President or any common person, will
not be condoned. Giri has issued an apology mixing it with the attack on his
own 'looks'. He called the remarks against
the President "a momentary lapse of judgment". This will not do. He must issue
an unconditional apology to President Droupadi Murmu.
