JD(U) president Sharad Yadav stood by his comments on the skin colour of South Indian women even as various political parties asked him to apologise for his remarks.
Yadav said his intention was to criticise the growing trend of men preferring women with fair skin as partners and it is visible in matrimonial advertisements. He did not mean to hurt the sentiments of women, he added.
According to reports, during a debate on the Insurance Bill on Thursday, Yadav had said: “The women of South are beautiful, their bodies...their skin ...They aren’t made like this here. They know dance.”
He described the proposal to raise the FDI cap to 49 per cent as a reflection of an obsession with fair skin. “Here people are awed by fair skin. In our matrimonials too we look for
On Friday, various political leaders condemned his comments. “I condemn this statement of Sharad Yadav ji as far as women are concerned and would request all the elected representatives in the country to speak about women with dignity and honour and not pass any loose comments about them,” said Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza.
CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat urged Yadav to express regrets over his comments. “It's shocking and highly objectionable. These remarks should be expunged and not allowed,” she told reporters.