‘Girls Don’t Go To Gym, Practise Yoga At Home’: Maharashtra BJP MLA Sparks Controversy

BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar from Maharashtra has caused new outrage after counselling Hindu girls and women against visiting gyms, saying they should do yoga at home. His comments during a public function in Beed on Tuesday have gone viral on social media, prompting mass criticism.

Speaking at a meeting, Padalkar spoke of gyms as being part of a “racket” and cautioned women against trusting trainers at the gym. “Girls practice yoga at home and don’t have to visit the gym, since they are cheating and doing injustice to you people,” he said. He suggested a conspiracy too, asking young women to be aware of whom to trust, in a veiled reference to members of another community.

The MLA also recommended that teenagers traveling to colleges without identification should be tracked and limited. “We must have a strong deterrent,” he added.

Padalkar’s inflammatory remark is not unique. The politician from Sangli is notorious for making provocative comments. In July, his remarks reportedly promising money for attacks on Christian priests and missionaries triggered mass protests in Mumbai and outrage from across the political divide. Earlier, in September, he was embroiled in a controversy over inflammatory comments on NCP chief Jayant Patil and his family.

Social media has blown up after his latest comment, with quite a few people criticising the MLA for gender stereotyping and communalising. So far, neither Padalkar nor Maharashtra BJP has come forward with a clarification over the backlash.

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