Berating Narendra Modi for his remarks against her, Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, on Wednesday asked him to show women respect and not to “stoop” to low levels.
Ms. Pushkar said she was not expecting an apology from the Gujarat Chief Minister, who had over the last 10 years chosen not to express regret for the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
“I have nothing to say to Narendra Modi. A man who has not apologised for killings of innocent Gujaratis in his State, how would I expect an apology from him?” she said, when asked if she expected Mr. Modi to apologise for his remarks that she was Mr. Tharoor’s Rs 50-crore girlfriend.
“How can he stoop to something like that? A State which has given Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, then you have this guy. In a country of such great women like Sonia Gandhi, Meira Kumar you have to have some respect for women.”
At an election rally in Shimla on Monday, Mr. Modi, in an apparent attack on Ms. Pushkar, said: “ Wah kya girlfriend hai. Apne kabhi dekha hai 50 crore ka girlfriend ? [What a girlfriend? Have you ever seen a Rs. 50 crore girlfriend?]”
Following that comment Mr. Tharoor took on Mr. Modi, tweeting, “My wife is worth a lot more than your imaginary 50 crores. She is priceless. But you need2be able2love some1 2understand that.”
Ms. Pushkar slammed Mr. Modi also for his earlier comment that Gujarati women were malnourished because they were fashion conscious. “Modi doesn’t even know his people, has he gone to those places?” she asked.
