A day after Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha demanded that girls be banned from wearing jeans, its general secretary Naveen Tyagi, speaking to Times Now, said the right-wing outfit was going to move the Supreme Court to declare “item girls” as prostitutes. “We’re holding talks with our leaders. Once the Supreme Court declares them prostitutes, they (item girls) will obviously be boycotted by society,” Tyagi told a Times Now correspondent.

Item girls should be branded as prostitutes:

Claiming to be working for the safety and security of women, Tyagi said all item girls and heroines who wear skimpy clothes are prostitutes. This matter, he said, is with their “capable” lawyers – the reason he wasn’t willing to speak about it in public yet – but added that the Mahasabha’s Meerut unit is helping compile video clips of dancing item girls to the Supreme Court saying airing or showing of women in such clothes lead to heinous crimes.

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“The girls who perform item numbers in films and remove clothes should be declared prostitutes. We feel the women who earn money by indulging in obscenity are prostitutes. They are spreading filth in society,” Tyagi said, adding he will take the matter to the Supreme Court.

National Secretary of the outfit Swami Chakrapani, however, distanced himself from the controversial remarks terming them as “wrong statement”. “We do not know about it. We are seeking details,” he said.

Those Who Do Item Numbers Should Be Called Prostitutes:

NCW Chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam: 

National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam strongly condemned Tyagi’s comments and said it will examine opposing such a move if he goes to the Supreme Court.

Case Aganist Bollywood Item Bomb Mallika Sherawat

“It is the usual regressive mindset that is coming out. One can turn around and ask what would they call the men who watch these women in their so called skimpy clothes. Anybody is welcome to go to the Supreme Court. “But I have enough trust in the apex court to hope that they will crush and dismiss this sort of irrelevant opinion,” she said.

Hindu Mahasabha Wants Item Girls to Be Declared Prostitutes

Randeep Surjewala: 

Congress Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said he was shocked by the comments and said it was time the society wakes up. “I am shocked by such parochial, obnoxious organisation who in their quest to govern the society come out with such dictate which were there in 15th Century and not even true for those centuries,” he said.

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BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra also slammed Tyagi and said the party was for freedom of the society. “We are proud to have a culture where women have led from the front.”

ABHM Dharmapal Siwach: 

Haryana vice president of ABHM Dharmapal Siwach told reporters, “Girls’ attire should cover the body and not be indecent. Moreover, girls should be banned from wearing tight jeans and tops.” He added that the two braveheart sisters in Rohtak, who took on three alleged molesters on board a moving Haryana roadways bus, will be felicitated with ‘Veer Savarkar’ bravery award on Wednesday.

Priyamani for Item Number in Gopala Gopala

Hindu Mahasabha leader’s comments:

The Hindu Mahasabha leader’s comments on what kind of clothes women should wear and why item girls should be treated as prostitutes smacks of the medieval mindset that is exhibited by outfits like the Taliban or the Islamic State. What is alarming is that such statements are becoming increasingly frequent in India from right wing groups of all hues, some citing religion and others caste traditions as their justification for moral policing.

The prime minister should be aware that at least some of these groups feel emboldened by the perception that there is now a government that is sympathetic to their viewpoint. Mr Modi has repeatedly emphasized that he wants to build a modern India that can hold its head high in the global community. Unless such groups are reined in, India’s image can only take a beating, at home and abroad.