BJP protests Sanjay Nirupam's jibe against Smriti Irani, demands apology from Sonia Gandhi
Edited by Ashish Mukherjee | Updated: December 21, 2012 17:45 IST
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi apologise for her party leader Sanjay Nirupam's alleged derogatory remarks against BJP member Smriti Irani during a TV discussion on the Gujarat elections yesterday.
Mr Nirupam, a Congress MP, had questioned Ms Irani's credentials, allegedly saying: "You used to charge money to perform dance shows on TV. Now you are an election analyst."
Ms Irani sent a legal notice to Mr Nirupam.
"The BJP will protest against Sonia Gandhi if she doesn't investigate Sanjay Nirupam's comments against Smriti Irani. Sonia Gandhi should apologise. The BJP has taken this matter very seriously. Smriti Irani has sent a legal notice to Sanjay Nirupam for defamation," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said today.
In Mumbai, the BJP's youth and women's wings staged a protest against Mr Nirupam. Around 300 activists took out a procession till the Congress leader's office.
The remark has also invited angry reactions online, with some pointing to Mr Nirupam's foray into television through reality show Bigg Boss.
(With inputs from PTI)
http://www.ndtv.com/article/assembly-polls/bjp-protests-sanjay-nirupam-s-jibe-against-smriti-irani-demands-apology-from-sonia-gandhi-308396
Sanjay Nirupam passes derogatory comments against Smriti Irani, furious BJP takes to streets
PTI Posted online: Fri Dec 21 2012, 18:43 hrs
Mumbai : BJP workers today staged a protest against Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam for his reported derogatory remarks against TV actor and BJP member Smriti Irani.
Activists of BJP's youth and women's wings took out a morcha and demanded an apology from Nirupam for his remarks against Irani, who is also a Member of Parliament.
Around 300 BJP cadres participated in the procession which concluded at Nirupam's office in suburban Borivili.
Nirupam made an irresponsible statement at a time when crimes against women are rising and there is anger among people, a BJP functionary said.
He made the controversial remarks yesterday during a debate on a news channel on the Gujarat Assembly election results. The Congress MP questioned the credentials of Irani to analyse poll results given her background as a TV actress.
He reportedly said "till some time ago you were dancing on the TV screens and now you have become a psephologist."
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sanjay-nirupam-passes-derogatory-comments-against-smriti-irani-furious-bjp-takes-to-streets/1048612/