New Delhi, Apr 8 (PTI) The Congress on Saturday slammed the BJP over its leader Kailash Vijayvargiya's "women look like 'Surpanakha' in bad clothes" remark, saying it is an insult to every woman of the country and reflects the party's mindset.

All India Mahila Congress chief Netta D'souza said this not only shows his dirty mindset, but also that respecting women is not in the BJP's dictionary. "Are we living in a Talibani rule that the government will tell women what to wear, what to eat and whom to meet," she asked.

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Vijayvargiya, a BJP general secretary, on Thursday at a religious function in Madhya Pradesh's Indore said girls in "bad dresses" look like 'Shurpanakha' of the Ramayana. In the epic 'Shurpanakha' is the sister of the demon king Ravana.

"What Kailash Vijayvargiya has said is an insult to every woman in the country. But Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani will remain silent on this. Will she break her silence on this dirty remark," D'souza asked.

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The Congress leader alleged that it clearly shows that insulting women every day is the BJP's habit and respecting women is not in its dictionary.

"This shows his dirty mindset. What women should wear, will the BJP decide now. Why is Shivraj ji (Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan), who runs a scheme for women only to garner their votes, silent," she asked.

"Are we living in a Talibani rule that the government will tell women what to wear, what to eat and whom to meet. This only shows his mindset and mentality... who has given you the right to insult half the country's population," D'Souza said.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate alleged that it seems the BJP has no respect for women.

"What Kailash Vijayvargiya is saying at some level shows the love for 'Surpanakha' within the BJP. This is the character of the BJP and this is why you find so many BJP legislators facing criminal charges as far as offences against women are concerned," she said.

"Why are so many rapists having political connections with the BJP. What baffles me is women leaders of the BJP will continue to keep quiet as Kailash and his ilk continue to make such comments," Shrinate said.

A video of Vijayvargiya's remarks, made at the function on the occasion of Hanuman and Mahavir Jayanti on Thursday, went viral on social media.

"When I leave for home at night, I see educated young people and children under the influence of drugs....I feel like getting down (from the car) and slapping them five to seven times to sober them up," the BJP leader said.

"We see goddess in women. But (with) the kind of bad dresses the girls wear and move around, they do not embody goddess but look like Shurpanakha. God has given you good and beautiful body.....dress well, friends," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)