Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Thursday slammed Union minister Giriraj Singh over his ‘thumka’ remark against West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, saying that it reflects the “anti-women mindset” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Asking Singh to apologise to the TMC supremo, Chaturvedi said, “The way he spoke about a sitting CM…we are not here to take any lessons from him”.

“…This is shameful. JP Nadda should tell Giriraj Singh not only apologise to Mamata Banerjee, but to all the women in the country,” the Shiv Sena leader added.

The BJP leader on Wednesday stirred a controversy after he criticised Mamata Banerjee for participating in the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), where she was seen shaking a leg with Bollywood actor Salman Khan. In a video making rounds on social media, Singh said that the CM doing ‘thumka’ at the film festival was “not appropriate” – as he swung his body from side to side.

“Jashn mana rahi hai, thumke laga rahi hai, yeh uchit nahi hai (She is celebrating and dancing, this is inappropriate),” Singh said.

The official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the TMC also shared Singh’s video on the social media platform saying he is not just “uttering the words ‘thumka’ twice but also making gestures that leave no room for misinterpretation.”

“His denial is another textbook example of BJP’s strategy to engage in shameful conduct and then brazenly defend it, regardless of overwhelming evidence,” the party wrote.

Mamata Banerjee reacted to her dancing with the Bollywood celebrities saying, “I don’t know how to dance. Sometimes I dance with tribals to support them. On that day, Anil Kapoor ji took my hand to the stage. We respect Bollywood. Mine was a gesture of respect, nothing else.”