Author and philanthropist Sudha Murthy took blessings from controversial right-wing Hindutva leader and Shiv Pratishthan founder Sambhaji Bhide at an event in Sangli, Maharashtra on Monday.
Murthy, who is also the mother-in-law of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is seen sitting and interacting with Bhide, who was a former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader.
Bhide was one of the guys arrested for inciting violence during the Bhima Koregaon incident in 2018 by igniting stone-throwing.
On November 2, Bhide sparked a controversy when he asked a young female journalist to wear a bindi or else he would not give her a byte.
Bhide had just come out after meeting Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and the journalist wanted to know what did they discuss.
Rather than answering her question, an irritated Bhide told her to sport a bindi. He compared an Indian woman to Bharat Mata and one without a bindi is equal to a widowed Bharat Mata.
AAP leader Preethi Sharma Menon said that Sudha Murthy has shown her true colours. “Trust she wore a bindi. When people like Sudha Murthy meet bigots like Bhide, they reveal their true colours,” the AAP leader said.
However, right-wing supporters on social media have praised Sudha Murthy’s gesture.
