Modi government, under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushdhi Pariyojna (PMBJP), has managed to provide affordable sanitary napkins to poor women through Jan Aushadhi centres for just one rupee each. During his independence day speech, PM Narendra Modi had mentioned about this initiative by his government. This step taken by the central government to make menstrual hygiene accessible and available to girls and women in rural areas received plaudits from social media users who hailed PM Modi for taking a step forward in breaking pre-defined taboos against menstruation.
This gratitude and admiration extended towards PM Modi, seemed to have rattled Haryana Congress leader Pankaj Punia, who took to Twitter to write: “Santre (a term used to refer to RSS supporters), are you’ll asleep? just a reminder, don’t forget to wear the Re 1 sanitary pad someday”.
Displaying his mediocre mindset, the Congress leader mocked the RSS supporters with his crass, sexist jibe asking them to use the Re 1 sanitary napkin made available to poor women by the Modi government.
For the uninitiated, many use ‘santre’ to refer to people associated with RSS, because the RSS headquarter is in Nagpur which is famous for oranges.
Through his highly misogynistic and insensitive Tweet, Pankaj Punia not only mocked BJP and its supporters but also insulted women in general.
Disgusted by Punia’s misogynistic remark, social media users tore into the Congress leader. Some called him “disgusting” and a “mentally sick person”, who deserves applause from his boss Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Disgusting. Mindset have stooped to the lowest. This mentally sick person @PankajPuniaINC deserves an applause by his boss @priyankagandhi. https://t.co/nf6ZwzSXFu
— Stuti Sardana (@stutisardana) August 18, 2020
While some urged Twitter India to take cognisance and suspend the Congress leader’s account for passing such an obscene remark on women.
Dear Twitter India @TwitterGov, @Twitter
— Sunil4Hindusthan (@sunil4Hindus) August 19, 2020
Please check this account @PankajPuniaINC & kindly suspend him, block him for passing utterly obscene comments on women about their privacy.
#लुच्चा_लफ़ंगा_पंकज_पुनिया @RahulGandhi @INCMumbai @BJP4India @HMOIndia @PMOIndia Strict action has to be taken against the illminded @PankajPuniaINC.. he should be made to wear the same pic.twitter.com/zQe993IGKt
— Rajat (@rajatwolverine1) August 19, 2020
The social media users in their fit of rage lashed out at the Congress leader saying that if he cannot respect women, he should not be calling his mother “maa”.
#लुच्चा_लफ़ंगा_पंकज_पुनिया
— 🚩गुलवंत सिंह🚩 (मोदी भक्त)🙌🚩 (@gulwant_devi) August 19, 2020
If you can insult any lady these much than you have don’t right to say your mother “माँ”@PankajPuniaINC #लुच्चा_लफ़ंगा_पंकज_पुनिया
RT Must @TheDeepak2020In pic.twitter.com/MSY7BltNUO
Congress leader Pankaj Punia insults BJP and its supporters
This is, however, not the first time social media users have expressed resentment against the Congress leader. In the past also thousands of social media users had condemned the Congress leader for his hateful, vile and blatant Hinduphobic Tweet. Expressing his hate for BJP and its supporters, the Congress leader in May Tweeted: “These people, (BJP and its supporters) are the ones who exhume corpses and rape them. They get naked in front of their daughters and masturbate while chanting Jai Shri Ram slogans.” This blatantly anti-Hindu, and hateful tweet of Punia had created a huge controversy.
However, the Congress leader had remained unaffected. He went on a twitter spree of liking and retweeting the tweets of Congress supporters. He had even shared tweets where his supporters had shared that he has stated nothing wrong and the allegations are absolutely correct.
This hateful Tweet had, however, led to the Congress leader’s arrest. Police in Karnal had arrested Punia on May 21, for allegedly “hurting religious feelings” and “promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion” through his tweet.
