The head of the state’s Women’s Commission said on Sunday that the president of the Maharashtra BJP, Chandrakant Patil, had apologised for his “go home and cook” statement directed at NCP MP Supriya Sule. In response to a letter addressed to Mr. Patil by the commission following his statement, he issued an apology. Ms. Sule stated that Mr. Patil’s apology demonstrates his “large-heartedness,” and she urged everyone to put the subject to rest.
Rupali Chakankar, the chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission For Women, told reporters, “The commission had sent a notice to Mr. Patil regarding his remarks against Ms. Sule, and he had responded by apologising for the remarks, which he claimed were made out of disappointment over the lack of political reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).”
Mr. Patil criticised Supriya Sule on Wednesday, during the BJP’s protest over the OBC reservation, by stating, “Why are you (Sule) even involved in politics? Just cook at home. Go to Delhi or a graveyard, but secure the OBC quota for us. How is it that, despite being a Lok Sabha member, you do not know how to make an appointment with the Chief Minister?”
Following his apologies, Ms. Sule claimed, “I refrained from responding to his comments from the very beginning. But by apologising, he has demonstrated his generosity of spirit. I propose that all parties now put the subject to rest.” Chandrakant Patil, a native of Kolhapur, fought the 2019 state Assembly election from Pune’s Kothrud constituency, displacing incumbent BJP MLA Medha Kulkarni.
Ms. Sule is a member of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), but his remarks also drew the ire of women policymakers, such as CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat, who said sexism is on the rise in Indian politics and urged women lawmakers of all stripes to unite against the trend, and DMK MP Kanimozhi, who promised to introduce a bill against shaming women on public platforms.
Supriya Sule, whose party shares power in Maharashtra with the Shiv Sena and the Congress, had previously stated that she had phoned Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during his visit to Delhi, but he did not disclose what he did to obtain approval for the OBC reservation.
The Supreme Court has permitted reservation for OBCs in Madhya Pradesh local bodies, while Maharashtra’s petition was denied.
