A video of a woman, telling other women that they should be raped because of the way they dressed, got viral two days back. People got psyched. They went crazy sharing the video, shaming the woman, calling her names. As condemnable and as misogynistic as it is, personally, I was not shocked. I was more surprised by the fact that the people who vote for leaders who make such remarks on a regular basis are going haywire on this woman’s remarks. Hypocrisy! I should say, or why else would people promoting rape culture be elected over and over again if we are so concerned?
I hope we are not so hypocrite that we are all feminists while sharing a video, but not while casting a vote. So, I decided to tell you guys what you already know and write about what you have already read.
“The more nudity, the more a girl is considered fashionable. Ants will swarm the place where sugar is. If a woman is caught in a rape case, both she and the boy should be punished.” – Abu Azmi (Samajwadi Party leader)
(Sounds similar?)
“This is a social crime which depends on men and women. Sometimes it’s right, sometimes it’s wrong.” – Babulal Gaur Yadav (Former Chief Minister, UP)
“Just because country attained independence at midnight, is it proper for women moving at midnight?” – Botcha Satyanarayana (Andhra Pradesh Congress leader)
“Did Nirbhaya really have to go to watch a movie at 11 in the night with her friend? Take the Shakti Mills gang-rape case. Why did the victim go to such an isolated spot at 6 pm? “Rapes take place also because of a woman’s clothes, her behaviour and her presence at inappropriate places.” – Asha Mirje (NCP leader)
“If a girl is dressed decently, a boy will not look at her in the wrong way. If you want freedom, why don’t they just roam around naked? Freedom has to be limited. These short clothes are western influences. Our country’s traditions ask girls to dress decently.” – Manohar Lal Khattar (Chief Minister, Haryana)
“Often if one person commits rape, four people are named in the complaint. Four people are named for rape, can it be possible? It is not practical.” And not to forget his “ladke hain, galti ho jaati hai( boys commit mistakes)” – Mulayam Singh (Former Chief Minister, UP)
“The rape of grown-up girls and women might be understandable but if someone does this to an infant, it is a heinous crime.” – Ramesh Bais (BJP, Madhya Pradesh)
“If the limit of morality is crossed by women, such cases will happen.” – Kailash Vijayvargiya (MLA, Madhya Pradesh)
“One small incident of rape in Delhi advertised world over is enough to cost us billions of dollars in terms of global tourism.” – Arun Jaitley (Finance Minister)
“As long as the earth exists, there will be rapes. Rapes have happened in the past and will continue to happen.” – Dipak Haldar (MLA, TMC)
“The girl shouldn’t have gone out at 12 in the night. Why was she driving so late in the night?” – Ranveer Bharti (BJP deputy President, Haryana)
“Chowmein leads to hormonal imbalance, evoking an urge to indulge in acts such as rape and sex.” – Jitender Chhatar (Haryana Khap Panchayat leader)
“You are a woman, you are here now. If someone drags you and rapes you, we opposition people will be somewhere else, what can we do?” – K.S. Eshwarappa (Former Karnataka deputy CM)
“No one commits rape intentionally, it happens by mistake.” – Ramsewak Paikra (BJP Chhatisgarh Home Minister)
“A man only starts harassing a woman after she gives him suggestive looks.” – Satyadev Katare (MP, Congress leader)
“You say rape incidents are on the rise but the population is also swelling. There are more cars now. Shopping malls are increasing. Young boys and girls are becoming more modern.” – Mamta Banerjee (Chief Minister, West Bengal)
“I don’t have any hesitation in saying that 90 percent of the girls want to have sex intentionally but they don’t know that they would be gang raped further as they find some lusty and pervasive people in the way ahead.” – Dharamvir Goyal (Indian National Congress)
“Women display their bodies and indulge in various obscene activities.” – Vibha Rao (BJP)
And guess who asked to “take the Muslim women out of their graves and rape them“? – Yes, Yogi Adityanath (Chief Minister, UP)
“You go to villages and forests of the country and there will be no such incidents of gang-rape or sex crimes. They are prevalent in some urban belts. The Indian ethos and attitude towards women should be revisited in the context of ancient Indian values.” Yeah? Yeah?!! – Mohan Bhagwat (RSS Chief)
And let’s see what Smriti Irani had to say –
“In India, I don’t think any woman here is dictated what to wear, how to wear, whom to meet when to meet. I am of the opinion, I don’t think anybody is dictated here, you are not told,”. Yeah, she definitely needs to listen to her party more.
Bullet point – Marital rape is not rape according to India.
There, said!