New Delhi: Being called “sexy” is a “cool” thing for Indian women, according to a top official of India's National Commission for Women (NCW) a quasi judicial authority here, which looks after safeguarding issues related to the fairer sex. NCW chairperson Mamta Sharma whose ‘sexy is good' remark about had created a furor in India continues to stick to her guns. “Don't be offended if someone says ‘sexy', rather take it positively,” Mamta had said. Mamta has now said that despite the outrage against the remark she believed in the sentiment expressed by her. Mamta now says that as time evolved, the meaning of words like sexy also undergoes change. “I have not withdrawn my statement and I stand by it. With time, the meaning of such words also changes. I was positive in my approach so I said that. One should take it in a positive sense,” she further said. Civil society groups as well the right wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticized Mamta for her comments. “She can say whatever she wants to as Mamta Sharma, but as the head of NCW, she can't make such ridiculous statements. Even the law says that sexually colored remarks are tantamount to harassing women. For her (Sharma), the remark might not mean anything, but we see it as a way of promoting violence,” said Kavita Srivastava, general secretary of People's Union for Civil Liberties. “I think any statement which leads to the commoditization of women should not be said even if there is no mala fide intention. Caution must be exercised while making statements, especially by women who occupy positions of significance,” according to BJP spokesperson Nirmala Seetharaman.
