Following sustained criticism from the opposition parties for his ‘women in Pahalgam should have resisted’ comment, Haryana BJP MP Ram Chander Jhangra on Sunday alleged that his comment on the Pahalgam terror attack had been “twisted” and misinterpreted politically.
Apology Issued, Intent Clarified by BJP MP
In a video message, Jangra apologized if his words offended someone and maintained that he never intended to offend the women whose husbands were killed in the April 22 attack.
“I do not treat women of my country weakly in any manner. We stand with the women who lost their husbands in the Pahalgam attack, we stand with those families. Still, if I have hurt anyone’s feelings, I have no hesitation in apologising,” he said in the video.
The furore arose after Jangra, addressing a function on the 300th birth anniversary of Maratha king Ahilyabai Holkar, remarked that the women who had lost their husbands at Pahalgam should have been like ‘veerangnas’ and the victims themselves should have retaliated against the terrorists.
Clarification and Reframing of BJP MP
In his clarification, Jangra tried to reframe his remarks and said, “I do not treat women of my country weak in any manner. I believe they are brave, and we only need to ignite the spirit of Ahliyabai and Jhansi ki Rani so that if such circumstances arise, like in Pahalgam, they can fight with the spirit of bravery.”
“I respect ‘veerangnas’ of my country, I salute them,” he added.
Defence of Armed Forces and Further Justification
“Our armed forces avenged the Pahalgam attack and taught Pakistan a lesson that it could not imagine. We can never call our sisters weak, and I believe we only need to ignite the spirit of Jhansi ki Rani and Ahilyabai in them.
“In this context, I had made my remarks, but these are being twisted. Those who are making it a political issue, God give them ‘sadbuddhi’ (better sense). It only harms the country and society,” he added.
Political Reactions and Party Response
But the harm was already done, and the remarks triggered a political backlash, with the Congress, TMC and SP branding the BJP as insensitive and “anti-women”.
The BJP leader and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar called Jangra’s comments on Pahalgam visitors “wrong” and asserted the issue should be left now as he has regretted if any hurt was caused.
