"Can't Wear Jeans In Temple": Actor Moushumi Chatterjee Caught Moral Policing

Moushumi Chatterjee, a veteran actor who recently joined the BJP, has caused a flap after preaching to a journalist at an event that she must not wear trousers and should "dress suitably".

Criticized for her unsolicited advice to the journalist, Moushumi Chatterjee said she had the "right to voice her objection as a bharatiya naari (Indian woman)." The 70-year-old Bengali actor, who had contested as a Congress candidate in the past, joined the BJP earlier this month.

She has been caught on camera moral-policing the journalist and saying: "You call wear modern dress but you should be mindful of propriety. You can't wear jeans in a temple. Wear salwar kameez, saris, even ghaghra choli. It is easier. We are an example to the world for our tradition and culture."

Moushumi Chatterjee, a popular actress who starred in many Hindi films in the 1970s, sought to temper her critique. "You are a child, I am much older than you. If I have offended you in any way, then I apologise. I am telling you like a mother, don't do this in future. Thank you," she said.

Called out during her media interaction for moral policing, the actor said: "This is to make it easy for us. If you have to bend in a temple, it will be uncomfortable. As a mother, I have the right to tell them. Whether they take it is up to them."

Ms Chatterjee also faced questions about joining the BJP, and was asked to list five achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "I am a Modi fan," she said.

The actor contested the 2004 Lok Sabha election on a Congress ticket and lost.