The National Commission for Women’s chief Rekha Sharma on Sunday announced she was summoning the Congress MP Shashi Tharoor for a Twitter pun that the latter posted on Manushi Chhillar.
Sharma, former media in-charge of the BJP in Haryana, tweeted, “@NCWIndia will summon @ShashiTharoor to commission on his derogatory and degrading tweet on our pride @ManushiChhillar She got fame and name to country by winning #MissWorld crown.”
@NCWIndia will summon @ShashiTharoor to commission on his derogatory and degrading tweet on our pride @ManushiChhillar She got fame and name to country by winning #MissWorld crown
— NCW (@NCWIndia) November 19, 2017
Sharma was visibly upset over a tweet by Tharoor linking the surname of the new Miss World to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation announcement. Tharoor, in a quirky tweet, had written, “What a mistake to demonetise our currency! BJP should have realised that Indian cash dominates the globe: look, even our Chhillar has become Miss World!”
What a mistake to demonetise our currency! BJP should have realised that Indian cash dominates the globe: look, even our Chhillar has become Miss World!
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 19, 2017
This evoked an angry response from Sharma, who wrote on the NCW’s official Twitter page, “NCW condemn the tweet of @INCIndia leader @ShashiTharoor. He degraded the achievement of daughter of #haryana and #India who got glory to the country. Will he call his own daughter chillar? He must apologize immediately.”
NCW condemn the tweet of @INCIndia leader @ShashiTharoor. He degraded the achievement of daughter of #haryana and #India who got glory to the country. Will he call his own daughter chillar? He must apologize immediately. https://t.co/WD6q49vUo8
— NCW (@NCWIndia) November 19, 2017
Tharoor issued an instant apology. He wrote, “Guess the pun IS the lowest form of humour, & the bilingual pun lower still! Apologies to the many who seem to have been righteously offended by a light-hearted tweet today. Certainly no offence was meant to a bright young girl whose answer i’ve separately praised. Please: Chill!”
Guess the pun IS the lowest form of humour, & the bilingual pun lower still! Apologies to the many who seem to have been righteously offended by a light-hearted tweet today. Certainly no offence was meant to a bright young girl whose answer i’ve separately praised. Please: Chill!
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 19, 2017
Sharma then proudly shared the tweets on the NCW’s official WhatsApp media group consisting of dozens of reporters. However, not everybody was impressed by her selective outrage.
Many journalists in the NCW media group asked Sharma what action she had taken after the murder threats were issued against actor Deepika Padukone by her former BJP colleague in Haryana. Faced with uncomfortable questions, Sharma decided to perform a vanishing act and did not care to respond to the biting questions posed by these journalists.
On Sunday, Surajpal Amu, the BJP’s chief media coordinator in Haryana had announced a bounty of Rs 10 crore for anyone who could kill Deepika Padukone and the director of Padmavati, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Amu had also threatened to “break the legs” of Ranveer Singh, who plays the character of Alauddin Khilji in the film.
Sharma’s alleged biases come in sharp contrast to the functioning of the Delhi Commission for Women’s chief, Swati Maliwal, who has been tirelessly campaigning against the rise in crimes against women in the national capital.
Maliwal, despite being close to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal since her association with the India Against Corruption movement, had publicly warned AAP MLA Somnath Bharti, when the latter faced police action in a domestic violence case.
Maliwal had chided the AAP MLA while also warning him not to play a hide and seek game with the law enforcing agencies.