Indian lawmaker opens up about being sexually harassed in past

BJP lawmkaer Poonam Mahajan says every Indian woman has faced sexual harassment at some stage

Every Indian woman has faced sexual harassment at some stage, said woman lawmaker of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Poonam Mahajan as she opened up about her own trauma of being sexually harassed in the past.

"I used to take a train to my classes in Versova from Worli," said the member of the parliament from Mumbai North. "I could not afford to travel by car at the time."

According to Mahajan, she did not feel self-pity that someone was looking at her in a 'disagreeable way', Times of India reported. She went on to add that every single woman on the planet, especially in India, had faced such harassment.



"Every Indian woman has had remarks passed about her or has been touched inappropriately," she told the participants of a summit held in connection with sexual harassment. Mahajan, however, asserted that self-pity is not the answer to such kind of experiences.

"Men can afford mediocrity in politics but women cannot," she said, adding mediocrity does not suit women. "We need strength and we have shown that."

Citing examples of several women who assumed important national roles, Mahajan said: "It is up to us to continue that tradition; it is up to us not to harbour self-pity," and added, "If someone harasses you, slap him and don't think why he did that."