Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant ignited controversy on Friday by using a derogatory term for Shaina NC who is contesting from Mumbadevi Assembly seat. While launching a scathing attack on Shaina, Sawant who criticised her as ‘imported maal’ demanded to know whether she is loyal to her new party. He remarked, “Imported maal doesn’t work here, only original maal does.”
#WATCH | Mumbai | On Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Arvind Sawant says, "Look at her condition. She was in the BJP all her life and now she has gone to another party. Imported 'maal' does not work here, only original 'maal' works here…" (29.10) pic.twitter.com/O4DJ0YjQIQ
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Sawant Defends Remarks As Misinterpreted
Following widespread criticism, Sawant anchored his statements and alleged that Shaina and members of the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP coalition manipulated his words to misconstrue a “fake narrative.” Sawant then pointed out that he wanted to tell people that Shaina is an outsider in the Mumbadevi constituency, compared to Amin Patel, the local Congress candidate supported by the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi.
Allegations Of Misogyny And Disrespect
Shaina NC quickly fired back and criticized Sawant’s comment as the kind of thinking that women would have to put up with every day. She alleged that Sawant has demeaned women saying, ‘Does he think every woman of Mumbadevi is a ‘maal’? He will have to apologize.” Shaina also threatened to report the matter to the police.
#WATCH | Mumbai: On Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Arvind Sawant's 'imported maal' remark, Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC says, "On one side there is Eknath Shinde's Ladki Behan Yojana, on the other side there is Prime Minister's Ujjwala, Mudra Banking, Housing Scheme, where women are… https://t.co/ASksHmuLak pic.twitter.com/uWirkS7SST
— ANI (@ANI) November 1, 2024
She also criticized Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders being silent over the same issue and said, “Arvind Sawant use to campaign alongside me and now I am ‘imported maal.’ I’m not his ‘maal’. This shows his party’s disrespect for capable women in politics.”
The incident has created a lot of furore in Maharashtra’s political parties’ forum; it has drawn the attention of political parties to gender sensitivity while campaigning for the elections that are going to be held soon.
