Shiv Sena UBT leader Arvind Sawant has sparked a controversy after he labelled Shaina NC, former BJP leader who switched to Shiv Sena ahead a “imported maal." “She stayed all her life in the BJP and now look at her… Humare yahan imported maal nahi chalta (Imported material does not work here). Only original ‘maal‘ works here. We have the original material (pointing towards the candidate)," he said while speaking to the media.
The Shiv Sena leader, who was at the receiving end of the ‘sexist’ slur, said that people will teach the rival party a lesson in the polls.
“This reflects the mindset of Arvind Sawant and his party. Does he think every woman of Mumbadevi is a maal? On one side there is Eknath Shinde’s Ladki Behan Yojana, on the other side there is Prime Minister’s Ujjwala, Mudra Banking, Housing Scheme, where women are empowered. Droupadi Murmu, a tribal woman, becomes the President and on the other side Mahavinash Aghadi’s Arvind Sawant calls me ‘Imported maal‘," she said.
I think this objectification of women is not only their mentality but Congress MLA Amin Patel was present there laughing…You will have to apologise at the Nagpada Police Station…Mahavinash Aghadi which is going to be ‘behaal‘ on 20th November," Shaina added. Shaina was fielded by Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena from Mumbai’s Mumbadevi Assembly constituency for the November 20 polls. She joined the party hours later ahead of the Assembly Elections.