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Gazi Abbas Shahid
Starting as a ground reporter back in his home UT of Jammu and Kashmir, Gazi has been a part of the news industry for well over a decade. While he finds every type of news engrossing, politics, partic ... Read More
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday sparked a row when he blew a flying kiss towards the treasury benches in the Lok Sabha, triggering the ire of Union Minister Smriti Irani, who termed the Wayanad MP’s action as an “inappropriate gesture” made towards women lawmakers in the House.
Following the incident several women MPs of the BJP lodged a complaint with the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, seeking “stringent action” against Rahul Gandhi for allegedly making an “inappropriate gesture” towards Irani in the House.
The complaint to the Speaker was signed by more than 20 women parliamentarians, including Union ministers Shobha Karandlaje and Darshana Jardosh. Gandhi has behaved in an indecent manner and made inappropriate gesture towards Irani while she was addressing the House, their complaint said.
But what exactly is an ‘inappropriate gesture’? While the flying kiss or the air kiss may be seen as indecent in this context, the gesture, however, conveys different meanings in different parts of the world.
Here are some gestures considered rude or inappropriate in some nations while conveying a different meaning in others:
Thumbs Up: Universally, the gesture is usually used to convey the message that you are in agreement with someone, agree with a situation or an idea or that everything is all right. However, in some countries, like Iran, Greece, Sardinia, Greece and parts of West Africa, this sign is considered akin to the infamous middle finger gesture.
The ‘Rock On’ gesture: While the ‘Rock On’ sign or the Devil’s horn gesture is widely used by fans at rock concerts in the US, UK and most western nation, the gesture may get one a beating in some Latin American and Mediterranean nations as it signifies that one’s wife is cheating on him.
The OK Sign: The OK Sign is universally recognized to convey that “I am OK” or everything is OK, much like the thumbs up sign. However, similar to the Thumbs Up gesture, the OK sign is considered offensive in some middle and southern European countries and can land unaware tourists in trouble with the locals.
Fingers Crossed sign: The sign made by crossing your and middle fingers, commonly used to wish for luck in most parts of the world, is considered highly offensive in Vietnam where the sign symbolises female genitalia.
The Stop sign: The stop gesture usually means telling someone to halt or stop, however, in Greece, this sign is considered rude by the locals as it’s symbolises criminals being paraded on the streets during the Byzantine empire and spectators blackening their faces with charcoal.
The Victory Sign: Even the victory sign may land you in trouble in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand if you do it with your palm facing towards you. This is considered akin to a middle finger and thus highly offensive.
Meanwhile, reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s flying kiss in the parliament, Smriti Irani termed the Congress scion as “misogynistic”. Talking to newsmen, Irani alleged that never before such misogynistic behaviour of someone has been so visible in Parliament. Taking a swipe at the Gandhi family’s value system, she said the question is should he be brought to task.
BJP members also noted that Gandhi had once winked in Parliament. “There is something wrong with his behaviour,” she said.
Congress MP Geeta Kauda, however, defended Gandhi, claiming that he can never be insulting to women. She alleged that the BJP has a habit of distorting issues to divert people’s attention.
(With PTI inputs)
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