The National Commission for Women on Thursday issued a notice to Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to appear before it in person and tender a written explanation for calling President Droupadi Murmu 'Rashtrapatni'.
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The Commission, which scheduled Chowdhury’s hearing for next week Wednesday at 11.30 a.m., also wrote to Congress president Sonia Gandhi to intervene and take appropriate action against Mr. Chowdhury for his “derogatory” remark.
The reference to India's first tribal president as 'Rashtrapatni' has drawn a fresh battleline between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress. The BJP has demanded an apology from Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
The NCW and 13 State Commissions for Women issued a joint statement, saying Mr. Chowdhury's remark was "deeply insulting, sexist and constitute an attempt to humiliate the Hon'ble President".
"We call upon right-thinking persons to condemn his words in the strongest possible language," read the statement by NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma as well as representatives of 13 State Commissions, including that of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, present at the quarterly meeting in Visakhapatnam.