By Shikha Sreenivas
After the Zaira Wasim controversy on Tuesday, when everyone took it upon themselves to defend her, even after Wasim said that she wasn’t forced by anyone to apologise, Sports Minister Vijay Goel has now coming rushing to her defence.
He tweeted an image of a painting that has a girl in a hijab in the background, with a cowering naked girl in a bird cage in the corner (that painting, our eyes, our eyes) and for reasons that should embarrass him thought of the actor Zaira Wasim. Someone please send him a TED talk on unconscious bias. Because he then tweeted, “ पिंजरा तोड़ कर हमारी बेटियां बढ़ने लगी हैं आगे | More power to our daughters!” (Translation of Hindi: Breaking the cage, our daughters will go ahead.) and tagged Zaira Wasim! No, Uncle, no!
https://twitter.com/VijayGoelBJP/status/821975829886291971
Wasim fired back on Twitter saying, “Women in hijab are beautiful and free”, “Moreover the story depicted in this painting is not even remotely relevant to mine.” She also tweeted (now deleted) that she disagreed with the minister and that he not connect her to “such a discourteous depiction”.
https://twitter.com/zairawasim/status/822323658173493248
https://twitter.com/zairawasim/status/822323776280924161
Goel seems to think that all women in a hijab are similar to the woman cowering in a bird cage are similar to Kashmiri women. Is this because Zaira rejected being ‘saved’ by the nation a few days back, when she posted an apology to those whom she apparently offended? And subsequently, when people voiced their support for her for being ‘forced’ to apologise? So according to the minister, her assurances that she is okay could only mean that under the surface she is suffering, like the woman in the bird cage.
Sorry, Vijay Goel, we see you, standing over that painting, sympathetic and wringing your hands, ready to give power to “our daughters” to break their cages. But unfortunately, before we all become the heroes that save Wasim, can we take a moment to actually listen to what she’s saying: That she doesn’t need any saving. Also can we introduce you to the IRL Pinjra Tod campaign closer to your home?