OBC quota row | Maharashtra BJP chief tells Supriya Sule to go home and cook; draws NCP's ire

The BJP leader said his words were part of a "rural style" of speaking and that he did not mean to disrespect women or Ms. Sule.

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil has stirred a controversy with his comments asking NCP MP Supriya Sule to "go home and cook" instead of being in politics, drawing a sharp reaction from her party.

Mr. Patil made the remarks on Wednesday during a protest by the State BJP unit in Mumbai for seeking reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in elections.

However, the BJP leader on Thursday said his words were part of a "rural style" of speaking and that he did not mean to disrespect women or Ms. Sule, who is the daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

"Whenever I meet Sule, we always greet each other with respect,” Mr. Patil said.

After the Supreme Court recently allowed reservation for the OBCs in local body elections in Madhya Pradesh, Ms. Sule, whose party shares power with the Shiv Sena and Congress in Maharashtra, had said she had contacted MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan during his Delhi visit, but he did not divulge what he did to get nod for the reservation.

On Wednesday, Mr. Patil, during the BJP's protest, hit out at Ms. Sule, saying, "Why are you (Sule) even in politics, just go home and cook. Go to Delhi or to a cemetery, but get us the OBC quota. Despite being a Lok Sabha member, how come you don't know how to get an appointment with chief minister." Taking a dim view of Mr. Patil's remarks, NCP's State women wing president Vidya Chavan, without taking his name, said a person who denied ticket to a sitting woman MLA and contested from her constituency is bad-mouthing an MP, who has been honoured with the Sansad Ratna award (for good performance) twice.

"We know you believe in Manusmriti, but we will not remain silent anymore," she said.