Motherhood debate heats up between Mayawati, Maneka

Attacking Maneka Gandhi for her comments, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Saturday said if the Bharatiya Janata Party's Member of Parliament knew a mother's pain, she would not have endorsed the hate speeches of her son Varun Gandhi, for which he has been booked under National Security Act.

Hitting back at Maneka, who had said that the UP chief minister did not understand a mother's pain since she was not one, Mayawati said that if she was a good mother she would have inculcated the right values in Varun.

"Had Maneka inculcated good values to her son, he would not have to spend the night in the jail. She must apologies not only to me but to the entire nation for her shameful and unfortunate comments", Mayawati said.

Justifying the action of Pilibhit district administration, which slapped the NSA on Varun, Mayawati said that in case riots had erupted, thousands of mothers would have been rendered childless. Maneka should understand the pain of thousands of mothers, she said.

"Maneka kewal ek bete ka dard samajhti hain but main karodo beton ka dard samajhti hun" (Maneka only understands the pain of one son but I feel pain of crores of sons), Mayawati said at a hurriedly called press conference.

On Friday, Maneka had attacked Mayawati for targeting her son and attributed political motive behind the move to keep him in jail during election time.

"Ma ka dard samajhne ke liye ma hona zaruri nahi hai. Mother Teresa bhi ma nahi thi lekin unhone pyar pure vishwa ki janta ko diya" (It's not necessary to be a mother to understand her pain. Mother Teresa was not a mother but she bestowed her love on the people of the entire world)," Mayawati said.

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister said that no one would be allowed to vitiate the law and order situation of the state irrespective of their parties and position.

Varun was held under NSA in connection with his alleged hate speeches in Pilibhit last month. Varun had subsequently surrendered before a local court in Pilibhit and was sent to the district jail there. He was later shifted to Etah jail.

Varun, the BJP candidate from Pilibhit, had moved the Supreme Court challenging the charges against him under NSA.