‘Bharat Mata not widow’: Activist refuses to speak to journalist for not wearing bindi

Maharashtra activist Sambhaji Bhide on Wednesday refused to speak to a female journalist as she had not put a ‘bindi’ on her forehead.

The incident caught on camera, took place after he met Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at the state secretariat in south Mumbai.

In a video, the activist can be seen asking the female reporter to apply a bindi on her forehead before coming to take his byte.

He refused to speak to her and also told the journalist that a woman is like Bharat Mata and that she should not appear like a ‘widow’ by not sporting a bindi, PTI reported.

As the video of the incident went viral, Maharashtra State Women’s Commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar issued a notice to Sambhaji Bhide seeking an explanation for his remarks.

In 2018, Bhide came under fire for his comments that couples were blessed with sons after eating mangoes from his orchard.