Hyderabad: Home Minister Mahmood Ali comes under BJP fire
State Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali
Hyderabad: The saffron party on Sunday hit out at State Home Minister Mahmood Ali's alleged sexist remarks on women's dress code.
Dubbing it shameful for the minister to air such views about women's clothing and humiliating them, Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar questioned whether the State really has a home minister; has he ever performed the responsibilities of his ministry.
The Karimnagar MP took a dig at Ali for his reaction over an issue of women candidates belonging to a minority community directed to remove their Hijab to write examination. He asked why the minister did not react when Hindu women were asked to remove bindis, flowers, bangles and watches to write examinations. Where did he go when such incidents took place? Whose home minister was he? Why he did not raise his voice when Hindu women were insulted and atrocities committed against them.
Bandi said the minister's statements amounted to insulting Hindu women. “The BRS leaders are just like the Chief Minister”. He asked why the minister was silent when Hindu women were humiliated and murders and rapes took place.
Earlier, party spokesperson Rani Rudrama lashed out at the minister. “It is unbecoming on his part to make such statements against women clothing. She demanded an apology from Ali. “People will be at peace if women wear hijab is nothing more than insulting women”.
Rudrama said the minister had never spoken when girls of six months and 60-year-old women faced atrocities and murders. “The Home minister's reasoning that wearing certain kinds of dress is the cause of such incidents exposes his inefficiency”.
The BJP leader asked the minister why on an average seven POCSO cases are registered for atrocities committed against children and minors.
“He should explain whether such incidents are also caused due to wearing of dresses in a certain way?
Rudrama alleged that Ali miserably failed in giving protection from the AIMIM and BRS leaders to women in the State.
She recalled a woman had lodged a complaint against a BRS legislator in the women's police station. But the police did not file an FIR on sexual harassment of the MLA, forcing her to go to Delhi to fight for justice.