Opposition leaders slam actor Chiranjeevi's 'wish for grandson' remark: ‘Sexist, crass’
During a film event in Hyderabad, Chiranjeevi said that he hoped that his actor-son Ram Charan would have a boy to carry forward our legacy.
Opposition leader on Wednesday criticised Telugu star Chiranjeevi's comment about not having a grandson who could carry his legacy forward.
During a film event in Hyderabad, Chiranjeevi said that he hoped that his actor-son Ram Charan would have a boy to carry forward our legacy.
Congress MP Jebi Mather said that Chiranjeevi's remarks were "sad and very unfortunate".
“...It is very sad...It is a very unfortunate statement that only a boy can carry forward the legacy...Boys and girls, both are our assets,” the Congress MP told ANI. “We are proud of both. We should really expect them to be well-behaved, individuals who do good work for society," Mather said.
CPI-M leader Brinda Karat said that it's regrettable when well-known personalities make such “crass” and “sexist” statements.
“It is a really quite unfortunate and a matter of regret when well-known personalities who are considered opinion makers make such crass, sexist statements which reflect son preference cultures in a country where sex ratios are still abnormally biased in favour of boys,” Karat told ANI.
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“I don't think this is expected of a person like Chiranjeevi and he should make amends because he may have made a comment in a lighthearted manner, but people believe in such son preference cultures in our country, and it is such cultures which put pressure on the daughter-in-law to produce a son," he added.
Karat noted that while Chiranjeevi's remarks could have been made light-heartedly, they could have serious repercussions.
“He may have done it in a light hearted manner, but it does have serious repercussions. This is a kind of culture which coerces women to go in for sex determination tests and to abort a female foetus...” the CPI-M leader pointed out.
What Chiranjeevi said
During a film event in Hyderabad on Tuesday, when shown a photograph of himself with his granddaughters, Chiranjeevi jokingly remarked that he felt like "a ladies' hostel warden, surrounded by several girls at home".
"I hope Charan (his actor-son Ram Charan) has a boy this time to carry forward our legacy. He adores his daughter, but I worry he might have another girl again. Lovely kids!" he added.
Ram Charan is currently blessed with a baby girl.
