"Just showing "mirror" to BJP..." Riju Dutta over Smriti Irani's purported video

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], December 16 : Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Riju Dutta on Saturday, while clarifying over Union Minister Smriti Irani's purported video and said that he was showing a "mirror" to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while demanding an apology for "disrespecting" Deepika Padukone.
While talking to ANI, the TMC leader intensified his attacks on the BJP saying "The saffron colour is a part of our national flag, and it symbolises strength, courage and valour. Who has given BJP the authority over the saffron colour."
He said that while BJP leaders are creating row over Deepika Padukone's attire in the song, while their own leader wore a similar dress of "saffron colour" in 1998.
"Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Home Minister Narottam Mishra, and "terror accused" Pragya Thakur have openly insulted Deepika Padukone for 'apparently' wearing a saffron bikini in a song. So, my tweet was that while you are doing moral policing, your own minister in 1998 wore a saffron bikini," Riju Dutta said.
The TMC leader further said that they have nothing against Union Minister Smriti Irani as it is her right to wear the dress of her choice.
"Let me make it very clear, TMC and Riju Dutta have nothing against Mrs Irani wearing the dress of her choice. My problem is the moral policing, selective hypocrisy, and continuous insults to the women who don't belong to their party. That is why I have shown a mirror to them," he said.
The TMC spokesperson also reacted to BJP leader Locket Chatterjee's tweet attacking him over his tweet.
"Locket Chatterjee and Preeti Gandhi, both belong to a party that freed the rape convicts of Bilkis Bano case and called them 'sanskari brahmins'. I belong to a party whose CM is the only woman CM of the country, and a symbol of women empowerment. We have the highest representation of women in Lok Sabha, Rajya and Vidhan Sabha and even Panchayat," he said.
He also asked the BJP leaders Narottam Mishra, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Pragya Thakur to apologise to Deepika Padukone.
"When Dilip Ghosh abused Mamata Banerjee saying she wears Bermuda (shorts), did he hold his ears and apologize? They should stop their hypocrisy. First, Narottam Mishra, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and the terror-accused Pragya Thakur should hold their ears and apologize to Deepika Padukone, then they should preach us on women empowerment. We already know how to respect women," he added.
Earlier, the TMC leader shared the video of the Union Minister, who was then an actor, in response to a tweet by BJP leader Amit Malviya who lauded singer Arijit Singh for singing a song which mentioned "gerua" (saffron) in its lyrics at the Kolkata Film Festival in front of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
In response to his tweet, Dutta shared Irani's old purported video, wherein she is seen walking at 'Femina Miss India 1998' show with the saffron coloured clothes, and wrote "rNg de tuu mohe geruaa".
Meanwhile, the song titled 'Besharam Rang' was dropped online on December 12, and soon it became the talk of the town. While several people liked the peppy track, some also found 'Besharam Rang' objectionable over the use of saffron and green costumes.
A slew of activists in Indore even staged a protest against the Pathaan movie and Besharam Rang song and set effigies of Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan on fire.