In a country where goddesses are worshipped, women are regularly reduced to mere objects of moral policing, scrutiny, and control. A bigger irony is not just the prevalence of societal prejudices but the misogyny of the very men who sit in positions of power as the so-called protectors of our constitution.
A few weeks ago, BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya declared that he doesn’t like women who wear “revealing clothes” and refuses to take photos with them. This isn’t his first obsession with policing women’s attire. In 2024, he likened such women to Surpanakha, the demoness from the Ramayana.
These aren’t slips of the tongue. These are loud echoes of a deep-rooted belief: that women must be controlled.
And he’s not alone.
From Haryana BJP MP Ram Chander Jangra, who blamed grieving widows of a terror attack for lacking “spirit,” to Surinder Singh, a BJP MLA's statement in 2020 saying rape can be prevented not by law but by “sanskaar” (values) taught to girls, Indian politics is drenched in this mindset.
Sajjan Singh Verma, a former Congress minister from MP, made headlines in 2021 when he argued that girls can biologically give birth at 15. So why raise their marriage age from 18 to 21.
Mulayam Singh Yadav infamously said, “Ladke hain, galti ho jaati hai” — boys will be boys — while opposing the death penalty for rapists. He even questioned the possibility of a gangrape by four men, suggesting women lie to settle scores.
One can imagine how warped the policy decisions are when people who shape the policies for the country are inspired by such regressive views and an inherent gender bias.
Misogyny is Not an Exception. It’s the Rule.
Every few months, an Indian politician makes a shocking, sexist remark. Yet there is little public apology, no party-level accountability, and hardly any media pressure that lasts beyond a 24-hour cycle.
These aren’t "gaffes" — they’re a pattern. And they reveal a dangerous truth: misogyny isn’t the exception in Indian politics. It is the rule.
In 2021, the then-Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat condemned women for wearing ripped jeans, calling it a sign of “societal breakdown.” A year later, he said, he stood by his statement.
Manohar Lal Khattar, the then BJP CM of Haryana, in 2018 blatantly blamed women for the rising number of rape cases. He said incidents of rape haven't increased, only concern about it has, and added that many women file complaints after fights, implying that these were cases of sexual ‘consent’.
He later tried to clarify that the word ‘consent’ was wrongly attributed to him and only sought to say that the victim and the rapist were known to each other. Even as he offered this explanation, he downplayed the crime and placed the burden of proof and responsibility on the woman, not the man.
In election time, such targeting of women politicians is a common practice. In the 2024 election season, women politicians like Mamta Banerjee, Hema Malini and Kangana Ranaut were repeatedly targeted.
Mamata Banerjee faced dehumanizing slurs after which BJP’s Abhijit Gangopadhyay was even barred from campaigning for 24 hours over a sexist speech. Dilip Ghosh went further, questioning Banerjee’s parentage. Azam Khan's vulgar comments about Jaya Prada’s clothing in 2019 still stand as one of the most shameful political speeches in recent memory.
Even earlier, in 2013, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat claimed rapes were rare in “Bharat” (rural India) but common in “India” (urban areas), suggesting those disconnected from Bharat invite such crimes — a dangerous blend of classism and victim-blaming.
Around the same time, he stirred fresh outrage by saying that marriage is a “contract” where a woman is bound to serve her husband, and that if she violates this, the husband has the right to “disown” her.
The fact that politicians get away with this, without losing their careers or even votes, tells us everything we need to know.
This Is Bigger Than Statements. It’s About Systemic Control.
These aren’t just words that hurt feelings. They shape the reality women live in. The repeated focus on women’s clothing, their character, or their ‘values’ takes attention away from the actual problem - the mindset of the man committing the crime.
In 2021, over 31,000 women were raped in India — that’s 86 women every single day, according to NCRB data. And these are only the reported cases. Thousands more go unreported due to social stigma, fear, and the constant warning that “it’ll ruin the family’s name.” Cultural narcissism makes it more important to hide shame than to seek justice.
And that’s the crux of it.
When our leaders say boys will be boys, or compare women to demonesses, or mock their clothing — they aren’t just expressing personal opinions. They are amplifying a collective belief: that women must fit into a narrow mold. If they step out of it, violence, judgment, and blame are their fault.
Silence is Complicity. It’s Time to Call It Out.
This is not about isolated statements, it’s a reflection of a deep-rooted patriarchal mind-set that thrives in the corridors of power. If our lawmakers trivialise crimes, mock women, and shame survivors, they become complicit in violence.
It’s not a case of political insensitivity, but of patriarchal entitlement — the belief that men have the right to control women’s behaviour, bodies, and even freedom.
So, no — this isn’t just about a few dirty statements. It’s about the culture of entitlement, the lack of accountability, and the everyday violence women face as a result. It’s about a society that cages women in the name of protection while the men who hurt them roam free — cheered on, sometimes, by our elected leaders.
The sick male mentality isn’t just alive — it’s in power. If India wants to be a nation of equality and justice, then we must first admit this: the rot is not just in the streets. It sits comfortably in our assemblies and parliaments.
And we, the people, can no longer afford to laugh it off.
Until we stop tolerating it, until we demand accountability not just from the system but from those who shape it, women in India will continue to suffer — mocked, blamed, and silenced.
Have you liked the news article?