Mumbai:
A day after this paper reported statements made by Aam Aadmi Party Lok Sabha candidate, Mayank Gandhi, about his political opponent Rakhi Sawant, the latter lodged a complaint against Gandhi for derogatory remarks.
Both Mr Gandhi, and Rakhi's Rashtriya Aam Party (RAP) are in the fray for the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency, currently held by Congress' Gurudas Kamat.
mid-day had reported how Mr Gandhi had dismissed Rakhi's candidature, saying no serious voter would choose them. "Majaa maarne wali janta will vote for Rakhi," Mr Gandhi had said.
Reacting to this, Ms Sawant went ahead and lodged a non-cognisable offence against Mr Gandhi in Oshiwara police station.
A member from RAP told this correspondent that the complaint had been lodged as the remarks were found to be derogatory against women.
However, Mr Gandhi claims his comment was twisted out of context and that it wasn't' a sexist remark, as it has been made out to be. "What I meant was that serious voters who would vote for me, and not for for Kamaal R Khan or Rakhi Sawant. It's unfortunate that my comment was made out to be a sexist remark," Mr Gandhi stated.
CopspeakA police officer from Oshiwara police station said, "We have registered a non-cognisable complaint on Rakhi Sawant's statement. She has alleged that Mayank Gandhi used filthy words against her, which outrage a woman's modesty. She has stated that the comments outraged not only her modesty, but also of all women. We do not usually make arrests in cases of non-cognisable complaints, unless the complainant goes to court and the court directs the police to do so. (
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We have sent copies of the complaint to the observer and the Election Commission as well."