No point in getting lost in maze of gender: Manish Tewari amid 'rashtrapatni' remark row

File image: Congress MP Manish Tewari

Amid a row over Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s ”rashtrapatni” remark, Congress leader Manish Tewari Friday said anyone occupying a constitutional office is equally honourable and there is no point in ”getting lost in the maze of gender”.

A major political row broke out on Thursday over the ’rashtrapatni’ remark by the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha with the BJP launching an all-out offensive against the opposition party.

The ruling party accused Chowdhury of hurling a ”deliberate sexist insult” at President Droupadi Murmu and demanded an apology from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. In his defence, Chowdhury, who is the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, said he never intended to disrespect the President and his ’rashtrapatni’ remark was a ”slip of the tongue”.

Accusing the BJP of making a ”mountain out of a molehill” over the issue, he had said he will apologise to President Murmu but not to ”these pakhandis” (hypocrites). Amid the brouhaha, Congress’ Anandpur Sahib MP Tewari, posted a cryptic tweet in which he asserted that there is no point in getting lost in the maze of gender.

”Lady or gentleman, anyone occupying a constitutional office is equally Hon’ble. Respect has to be given & should be accorded to that institution,” Tewari said.

”Any person on a particular position becomes analogous to or with that office. No point in getting lost in the maze of gender,” the former Union minister said.