A Congress MLA in Karnataka has landed in hot water after making sexist remarks about a woman officer from the Forest Department, sparking widespread outrage. A video of the incident, now circulating widely on social media, shows the legislator berating the officer and making disparaging comments about her pregnancy during an official meeting.
Shivaganga Basavaraj, the Congress MLA representing Channagiri, took issue with Forest Range Officer Shweta for not attending a quarterly review meeting of the Karnataka Development Programme (KDP). What began as a routine administrative discussion turned controversial when Basavaraj used the occasion to lecture on maternity leave in front of several government officials.
Upon learning that the officer would not be attending the meeting, Basavaraj said in public, “If she is pregnant, she should take leave. Why does she need to work? She wants to earn money but when called for meetings, she wants leave. Is there no shame?”
He went further, remarking, “There are maternity leaves, right? Till the last day, she wants salary and other allowances, but when asked to attend meetings, pregnancy becomes an excuse. One should feel ashamed. Every time it’s the same story, ‘I’m pregnant, I’m going to the doctor.’”
Basavaraj also demanded “immediate action” against the officer, comments that drew sharp criticism from women’s rights groups and civil society activists. They accused the MLA of trivialising maternity and undermining women’s right to work with dignity, calling his statements a reflection of the deeply ingrained sexism in Indian politics.
The MLA has not yet issued a public response to the controversy. However, the matter is expected to intensify politically, with the Opposition BJP gearing up to attack the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government over gender sensitivity and workplace equality.
The controversy comes soon after Karnataka became the first state in India to introduce one day of paid menstrual leave every month for women in both government and private sectors, a move initially lauded as progressive.
