New DELHI: Actor Chiranjeevi has come under fire for his comments about wanting a grandson to carry forward the family legacy, with several political figures calling his remarks “crass” and “sexist.” His statement, made at a film event in Hyderabad on Tuesday, has drawn criticism for promoting gender bias.
Speaking at the pre-release event of Brahma Anandam, Chiranjeevi said, “When I’m at home, it doesn’t feel like I’m surrounded by my granddaughters; it feels like I’m a ladies’ hostel warden, surrounded by ladies all around.” He went on to say, “I keep wishing and telling Ram Charan, at least this time, to have a boy so that our legacy continues. I’m scared that he might again have a girl, but he has lovely kids.”
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His remarks have sparked outrage, with politicians and activists condemning the comments for reinforcing patriarchal beliefs. Congress MP Jebi Mather criticised the statement, saying, “It is very sad… It is a very unfortunate statement that only a boy can carry forward the legacy… Boys and girls, both are our assets. We are proud of both. We should really expect them to be well-behaved individuals who do good work for society.”
CPI-M leader Brinda Karat also condemned Chiranjeevi’s remarks, calling them “crass” and “sexist.” She said, “It is really quite unfortunate and a matter of regret when well-known personalities who are considered opinion makers make such crass, sexist statements which reflect son preference cultures in a country where sex ratios are still abnormally biased in favour of boys. I don’t think this is expected of a person like Chiranjeevi, and he should make amends.”
She further stressed the consequences of such remarks, adding, “He may have made a comment in a lighthearted manner, but people believe in such son preference cultures in our country, and it is such cultures which put pressure on the daughter-in-law to produce a son. He may have done it in a lighthearted manner, but it does have serious repercussions. This is a kind of culture which coerces women to go in for sex determination tests and to abort a female foetus.”
Advocate Abha Singh also called for Chiranjeevi to withdraw his statement, saying, “At the time when we talk of gender justice, here we have Chiranjeevi who says he wants a grandson to carry on his legacy. It dilutes the success made by women… After ages of government schemes, the cases of female foeticide have come down. I will request him to take down his statement and apologise.”