AAP draws sexism charge after Kutch meeting makes women sit on floor - viral photos not of party meet, says Ashutosh

Sexist photos: In the second tweet that followed three hours later, Ashutosh claimed that he had made a mistake in wrongly saying the photos were from an AAP meet. Pic courtesy Rachit Shah

June 5, 2016, NewsCrunch

AAP spokesperson Ashutosh tweeted four photos on Sunday on AAP's mass contact programme in Kutch, Gujarat, which showed women sitting on floor, while men were on chairs.

The images created a furor as many objected to ''sexism'' that was implied in the different seating arrangement for men and women.

After the images went viral, Ashutosh sent another tweet saying the Kutch event was not a party programme.

Ashutosh's first tweet was a retweet of an Ahmedabad-based AAP volunteer Rachit Shah, who had shared the photos with the comment: "Meeting in Kutch with Gulab bhai ( a local heavyweight) and other leaders."

Sexist photos: In the second tweet that followed three hours later, Ashutosh claimed that he had made a mistake in wrongly saying the photos were from an AAP meet. Pic courtesy Rachit Shah

In his first tweet Ashutosh endorsed what Rachit Shah had said. He said AAP was creating waves in Gujarat. "Massive turn over of people in our mass contact programme (sic)," he gushed.
 
In the second tweet that followed three hours later, Ashutosh claimed that he had made a mistake in wrongly saying the photos were from an AAP meet. He apologised but did not clarify on what the meeting was about,  how AAP was associated with it and why women were sitting on the floor.

AAP senses a political opportunity in Gujarat as it sees BJP in decline and Congress in shambles. It is on a top drive to get its act together for the next year's assembly elections.

Sexist photos: In the second tweet that followed three hours later, Ashutosh claimed that he had made a mistake in wrongly saying the photos were from an AAP meet. Pic courtesy Rachit Shah

AAP spokesperson Ashutosh tweets and retracts 'sexist' photos on Kutch programme