Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | 'Not an insult to women,' says Sanjay Raut on Arvind Sawant's 'imported maal' remark

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday defended party leader and MP Arvind Sawant's 'imported maal' remark targetted at Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) leader Shaina N C.

"There has been no insult. Arvind Sawant is our senior MP. He just said that the BJP candidate from Mumbadevi (Shaina NC) has come from outside and she is an 'imported maal'," Raut said, as reported by ANI.

Further, he also questioned how this is an insult to women, and added, 'Bahar ka maal hai toh bahar ka maal hai'. Raut even mentioned that one should look at the history when judging others.

"What did you say about Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi?," he asked, adding, "If a person from outside contests elections, people say that they have come from outside. There is no need to create such a big issue."

In what sparked off a controversy in poll-bound Maharashtra, Arvind Sawant described Shiv Sena contestant and fashion designer Shaina N C as an “imported maal”.

However, Shaina NC hit back saying - “mahila hoon, maal nahi”.

The Mumbai Police has filed an FIR under section 79 and section 356 (2) of BNS against Sawant after the Shiv Sena women wing staged a mammoth protest outside the Nagpada police station.

The sexist remarks have snowballed into a major political issue.

The female leader, who was with the BJP and interested in contesting the Worli seat against sitting MLA Aaditya Thackeray, joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and was fielded from Mumbadevi. It was this move that led to Sawant calling her imported 'maal.'


(With DHNS inputs)

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

Subscribe and follow DH on Whatsapp, X, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram to never miss out on anything.