Chandigarh, September 2026 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab’s Abohar constituency in-charge Dr Suhani Doda has strongly condemned what she described as an insulting and vulgar remark made against her by senior BJP leader and former minister Surjit Kumar Jiani.
Doda said Jiani’s alleged remarks were not only an insult to her but also to women as a whole.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday along with AAP Women’s Wing state president and MLA Dr Amandeep Kaur, Doda said that during a BJP programme in Abohar on September 20, Jiani, while addressing former Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar, allegedly used derogatory language against her and said that she was “not even equal to a shoe under the foot”.
Doda questioned the attitude of BJP leaders towards women, saying that while the BJP-led government at the Centre speaks about initiatives such as “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” and frequently refers to Hindu traditions and the worship of women as goddesses, a senior party leader had allegedly used such language against an educated woman doctor serving the public.
She described the alleged remark as evidence of what she called a contradictory attitude towards women within the BJP.
Doda also questioned the silence of women BJP leaders who, according to her, were present on the stage when the alleged remarks were made. She said former Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar, BJP state vice-president Mona Jaiswal, Vandana Sangwal, Vijaylaxmi Bhadu and Abohar Mayor Pooja Wadhwa were among those present.
“If they claim to represent women, why did they remain silent at that time?” Doda asked, questioning whether the women leaders agreed with Jiani’s remarks. She also asked why they had not publicly condemned the alleged statement.
AAP MLA Dr Amandeep Kaur said the incident was not, in her view, an isolated instance of BJP leaders allegedly making objectionable remarks about women. She referred to previous controversies involving BJP MP Kangana Ranaut and a BJP legislator, alleging that derogatory language had also been used against women and children.
Kaur alleged that BJP leaders sought women’s support during elections but treated them differently after coming to power.
She also criticised the previous alliance between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP and targeted SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Kaur alleged that the alliance had caused damage to Punjab and its religious institutions and asked Badal to clarify her position on issues concerning women at religious places and the “Bahrain woman” matter referred to by the party.
Kaur said the AAP had demonstrated its commitment to women’s political representation by giving tickets to 12 women candidates, of whom 11 were elected to the Punjab Assembly and subsequently became members of the state Cabinet.
According to Kaur, Doda had also filed a complaint with the Punjab State Commission for Women over the alleged remarks. She said the commission had taken action and issued a notice directing the BJP leader to appear before it.
Kaur appealed to women across Punjab to respond to what she described as an “anti-women” mindset.
She said more than 2.5 lakh AAP women workers stood firmly with Doda and announced that the party’s women’s wing would continue to pursue the matter until Jiani and the BJP leadership issued an unconditional apology for the alleged remarks.
The AAP leaders said the issue would be raised on public platforms as well as through protests if the demand for an apology was not addressed.
