AP women's panel notice to Pawan Kalyan over comments on women

Vijayawada Jana Sena Party president and Tollywood star Pawan Kalyan has been served a notice by the Andhra Pradesh Women's Commission over his comments on three marriages.

Terming as "outrageous, sexist comments" on 'three marriages & maintenance, State Women's Commission Chairperson Vasireddy Padma on Saturday issued a notice denouncing actor's comments casting aspersions on women's dignity & sanctity of marriages and called it a threat to women's safety.

Decrying JSP supremo's comments, Padma issued a notice and asked him to apologise and retract his statement immediately. The State Women's Commission took cognisance of the issue after a massive outrage broke out in the social media in response to Pawan Kalyan's remarks against women on October 18 in Mangalagiri.

In the statement, Padma asserted that Pawan's comments insinuating that 'a man can get rid of his wife if he has maintenance to offer' are unfortunate and have deeply hurt women across the State.

*The women's commission further contended that the use of words like 'stepney' to refer to women are highly offensive and endorses catcalling and eve-teasing. "Such words are used by those who treat women as an object of pleasure and a commodity," the statement read.

The commission asserted that such kind of accentuating remarks from a president of a responsible political party and an actor of his stature poses a serious threat to the safety of women in the society and encourages patriarchal stereotypes.

*"How could you casually compare that by giving monetary compensation in crores, lakhs, thousands a man can get rid of his wife? Which women will be safe in society if we propagate this kind of mindset? Don't you have any accountability for the same? Isn't it true that your followers and youngsters who look upto you will adopt the same thought and believe that they can get rid of their marriage if they have enough money," the commission retorted while asking Pawan Kalyan to take accountability for his sexist remarks.*