Srinagar: BJP leader Altaf Thakur on Thursday apologised for the anti-women slogans raised during a rally organised by the party to celebrate the abrogation of Article 370 in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir a day earlier.
Thakur said the BJP firmly believes in respecting the dignity of women and remains committed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of women empowerment.
“I apologise to anyone who was hurt by the derogatory slogans,” Thakur told reporters here, adding that demeaning words were used against women, who are “our sisters, mothers and daughters”.
“Our party has always upheld the dignity and honour of women. The BJP has been at the forefront of empowering women, and the historic decision to provide 33 per cent reservation for women reflects that commitment,” he said.
He said the objectionable slogans raised by some elements during the rally should not be attributed to the BJP as an organisation.
“Some individuals may have raised slogans based on their personal thinking or emotions, but those slogans do not represent the BJP’s official stand or the views of the leaders who led the rally. The party does not endorse any defamatory or derogatory remarks against anyone,” he said.
National Conference chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq, while reacting to the incident, said some insults are not directed at individuals but at an entire society.
“Azi and Fazi (common names of women in Kashmir a few decades ago) are not merely names. They symbolise the respect, affection and dignity with which Kashmir has always regarded its mothers and sisters.
“The day political leaders chose to turn those names into a joke, they crossed a line,” Sadiq posted on his X handle.
In another development, the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP on Thursday threatened to ban journalists who seek comments from party leaders not authorised to speak to the media from official media interactions of the party.
“It has been observed that certain media persons are repeatedly seeking comments and media bytes from individuals who are not authorised to speak on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Jammu and Kashmir. Such practices create confusion, misrepresent the party’s official stance, and mislead the public,” a BJP spokesperson said in a press release here.
