Parliament not immune to it

New Delhi: Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury on Tuesday said the casting couch was the “bitter truth” of not just the film industry but all work spaces and even Parliament was not immune to it. It’s time for India to stand up and say, “me too”, Chowdhury said, after veteran Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan defended the casting couch culture. “It’s the bitter truth. It is not just in the film industry.

This happens everywhere in work spaces. Don’t imagine that Parliament is immune, or some other work space is immune. If you look at the Western world today, established top actresses took so long to come out and say, ‘me too’. It’s time India stood up and said, ‘me too’,” the former Rajya Sabha MP told the media.     

Saroj Khan, the choreographer to generations of leading ladies, stunned everyone at a press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday with her comment describing sexual favours for work in the film industry. She said it was not a new phenomenon and the film industry “at least” provided jobs and did not abandon women after raping them.  "Tum film industry ke peeche kyun pade ho?

Woh kam se kam roti toh deti hai. Rape karke chhod toh nahi deti. (Why are you targeting the film industry? At least, it gives you work and doesn't abandon you)," she said. After outrage, she has apologised. She also put the onus on women and said everyone, including people in the government, indulged in it.  

“I have already said I am sorry. But you don’t know the question that was asked... and now there’s so much ruckus,” Khan said as a video of her interaction with the media did the rounds of television networks and social media.  The #MeToo campaign, which calls out sexual offenders, began in Hollywood late last year and triggered a global movement against sexual abuse.