BJP MLA makes sexually threatening remarks about Muslim women in Madhya Pradesh
Rameshwar Sharma uses offensive language to stoke communal passions: Opposition
Bhopal: A BJP MLA in Madhya Pradesh has sparked outrage with a sexually threatening remark directed at Muslim men attending Hindu religious and cultural dance events known as Garba, telling them to bring their “sisters and daughters, our boys are also ready”. The remarks by Hindutva politician Rameshwar Sharma have drawn strong condemnation from opposition leaders.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Sharma, the BJP legislator from Bhopal’s Huzur constituency, made the remarks at a public event while speaking about the participation of Muslims in Garba celebrations. He said Muslims were welcome to attend Garba but questioned why Muslim men wanted to come alone, adding, “Bring your sisters and daughters along from home too, our boys are also ready.”
Sharma also said that Muslims attending Garba should chant “Jai Shri Ram”, apply tilak on their foreheads and protect cows. He later stood by his remarks, saying that if Muslims had developed “love and attachment to Sanatan”, they should bring their sisters, daughters and parents and participate in the religious celebrations rather than merely watching them.
Congress MLA from Bhopal Central Arif Masood strongly condemned Sharma’s remarks, describing his language as “highly objectionable, extremely vile and filthy.” Calling Sharma hate-monger, he said Muslims have “nothing to do with Garba,” adding that Sharma used rude language inciting Islamophobic passions.
Congress state media head and former education minister Mukesh Nayak also criticized Sharma, saying he repeatedly used offensive language to polarize voters in his constituency.
AIMIM Madhya Pradesh president Mohsin Ali Khan condemned the remarks and urged Sharma to read the Constitution. Referring to Article 25, which guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practise and propagate religion, Khan said statements that pit one religious community against another should be opposed.
The Congress Seva Dal also criticized Sharma’s remarks, saying, “It seems BJP leaders have taken up the contract to insult women”. Calling his statement “vile”, he said it showed where “rapists and lowly mindsets get their patronage from.”
Rameshwar Sharma has repeatedly delivered hate-filled remarks concerning Muslims, religious practices and interfaith relationships. Earlier this month, Sharma, ,in his remarks, referred to launching a missile from Karond Square towards Qazi Camp, a Muslim-majority area of Bhopal.
In 2021, while serving as the Madhya Pradesh Assembly’s pro-tem Speaker of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, he said that Garba was a religious event and questioned the participation of Muslims who did not share Hindu religious beliefs.
Sharma has previously said that he was part of the crowd involved in the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid, a 16th-century mosque in Ayodhya, and described the episode as one of the most fulfilling moments of his life.
