NCW serves notice to Rahul for 'misogynistic' remarks against Nirmala Sitharaman

New Delhi, Jan 10: The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Thursday served a notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The panel said "considering the gravity of the matter, you are required to provide a satisfactory explanation to the Commission".

The panel also said that Mr Gandhi's remarks "were extremely misogynistic, offensive and unethical".

The Congress president Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Defence Minister also have fetched him strong rebuttal from Union Ministers and women BJP leaders.

"Rahul Gandhi's comments on Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman's reply to a debate on a subject relating to Ministry of Defence is a new low in the history of Indian politics," tweeted External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Another Union Minister Smriti Irani also joined issue with Congress President.

"Rahul Gandhi's ego is so much hurt that he has lost his calm. How could an ordinary woman show such courage and challenge him?," she wrote in the micro blogging site in Hindi.

Addressing a rally in Jaipur on Wednesday, the Congress president had said: "The Prime Minister with the 56-inch-chest didn't come even once to the people's court - the Parliament. We smashed the Raksha Mantri's speech. 56-inch-chest Prime Minister said to a woman 'protect me'."

The National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma also tweeted saying: "What is Rahul Gandhi trying to imply with his misogynistic statement- “... ek mahila say kaha meri raksha kiijiye."? Does he think women are weak? The irony- calling an accomplished Defence Minister of the largest democracy a weak person."