India's federally ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has asked the main opposition party Congress to discipline one of its politicians for making sexist remarks against women parliamentarians.
The demand came after a Congress member in Madhya Pradesh state made remarks against BJP parliamentarians Smriti Irani and Hema Malini.
A video lasting 32 seconds and shared by BJP’s Madhya Pradesh unit, shows former Congress parliamentarian Arun Yadav saying: “During Congress party's rule (2004-2014), inflation was called 'Dayan' (witch), now it has become Apsara (celestial singer and dancer) like Hema Malini.”
Yadav was campaigning in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa District for the forthcoming by-election on 30 October when he made such remarks.
As he continued to address the public, a Congress supporter mentioned the name of federal Minister, Smriti Irani, to which the politician promptly replied "she has now become ‘Dokri’ (old woman)".
Reminding its main rival party Congress about the boasts its politicians have made in the past, the BJP said: “Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi has been saying 'I am a woman, I will fight'. Will you fight against Arun Yadav, who made lewd remarks about women? Or will hypocrisy prevail?”
During election campaigns, some Indian male politicians make jokes or remarks about female politicians' personal traits.
In the past, a BJP member commented about the brown skin and hair colour of Uttar Pradesh's former female state chief Mayawati.