Stop this vulgarity. BJP's Angurlata Deka is more than just a "hot MLA"
If you are a victorious candidate from a constituency, usually the stories published about you in the wake of the win are about the electoral accomplishment, trust factor, promises made and the manifesto proclaimed. Not so if you happen to be Angurlata Deka, BJP MLA from Bardowa, Assam, who has been in the news for, wait a second, "hotness" quotient.
At a time when we are crying foul over Twitter trolls attacking political leaders and party spokespersons with an unprecedented gusto and bile, giving rape threats on open platforms of the social media, Angurlata Deka has been subjected to the most subtly vicious and grossly vulgar bout of objectification.
Just sample these screenshots from some the online articles that have been doing the rounds since her victory was stamped on May 19.
 |
Circulating the old pictures of Angurlata Deka, in which she's dressed as per the part that she was playing in her previous stint - that of a model and television actor - several media outlets have been fawning over her "hot" body, dubbing her the "hottest woman MLA" in India, and omitting even a bare mention of what she has promised to do in her contituency, or her rapport with the locals of Bardowa, Assam.
 |
Though some opinion portals have had the good sense to posit intellectually and politically stimulating questions to Deka, most have preferred to focus on her pretty face and socially-approved sexiness, bringing out one more time the overt sexism and the utter disregard for a woman politician's leadership qualities prevalent in the media, particularly the Hindi language websites and portals. While there has some outrage on Twitter, more tweets have been about circulating tawdry and risque images of the MLA.
Shame on those who are circulating BJP MLA Angurlata Deka's leaked pic. It's her personal life whatever she do. None of yours business.
— Mousumi... (@OxomiyaJiyori) May 22, 2016
By sharing pic and commenting on pic you are not vilifying Angurlata Deka in fact you are showing how scum sexist and hypocrite you are !
— Jameel جميل (@jameelsjam) May 22, 2016
First bhakts were saying Angurlata Deka won cos she is good looking actress now sharing some of her pvt pics.Respect for women BJP style
— শেখর (@MangoBwoy) May 22, 2016
To the extent that Congress-supporting trolls have latched on to Deka's "hotness" as an explanation of BJP's victory in Assam, completely dismissing the 15-year anti-incumbency and the huge loss of faith that the former Tarun Gogoi's government had come to.
 |
This is sexism at its vilest. Angurlata Deka deserves much better from both her supporters and detractors. Let's not forget that even Smriti Irani, Union HRD minister, has been subjected to such nasty and indecorous behaviour from trolls belonging to non-BJP camps, but nevertheless, aping the bhakts at their most loathsome.
What a shame!