Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Renuka Chowdhury (Image: File)
New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Renuka Chowdhury, speaking at India News Manch organised by the ITV Network, strongly condemned the use of derogatory language against women in politics. She said no woman—whether a mother, wife, daughter, or daughter-in-law—should be subjected to disrespect in public discourse.
Emphasising constitutional values, she noted that Indian women enjoy equal rights and were granted voting rights far earlier than women in many so-called developed nations. She also expressed anguish over the House’s silence on heinous crimes against women, including incidents of public humiliation, calling it not just a women’s issue but a national shame.
Chowdhury criticised the ruling party’s priorities, saying it was ironic that while pollution threatens lives—especially of children and the elderly in the capital—her act of rescuing a stray puppy became a political controversy. She personally ensured the puppy’s safety and sent it home. She accused the ruling party of misrepresenting the incident to imply she valued a dog over serious issues, stressing that her actions were guided by moral and constitutional duty, and that compassion for living beings is recognised by the Constitution.
Clarifying her remarks, Chowdhury said she never implied the puppy posed any danger, describing it instead as harmless. Her criticism, she explained, was directed at certain individuals inside Parliament who “bite” in a metaphorical sense—by misusing power, silencing dissent, and evading accountability.
