Sexist remarks about women journos? Rajyavardhan Rathore says he's being misquoted

New Delhi: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on Friday said women in media would be better off pursuing off-field roles like that of news analysis as opposed to field reporting in view of safety, challenging conditions and odd hours of work. Rathore’s remarks have come under fire for being seen as sexist. He has taken to Twitter to defend himself and said that his words have been wrongly interpreted. According to IANS, Rathore said that in contrast to the “reducing importance” of factual news business practiced by TV journalism, women scribes should take to print that is more about “analysis of the implication of the news”. [caption id=“attachment_2098681” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] PIB Image.[/caption] In print, “your (women journalists) role could be far better utilised without going out in the field. Not that you should not go out. In the sense of safety and security, the working hours, conditions, and different roles attached as a mother, sister, or a wife,” Rathore told women journalists in a media interaction at Indian Women’s Press Corps . Stressing the fact that his suggestion was free of any gender bias, he said avenues “like sports, battlefields, Maoist-infested areas become issues for women journalists to be present there”. Rathore says his remarks have been wrongly interpreted. He wrote on Twitter, “Every one who knows me or has met my family knows that I stand for women at par with men. My wife is an ex soldier who has served in field.” He added, “I’ve the highest respect for women personally & professionally. My 6 month pregnant soldier wife was on battlefield after parliament attack.” He also tweeted that the headlines and quotes were a false interpretation of what he said. His tweets below:

Every one who knows me or has met my family knows that I stand for women at par with men. My wife is an ex soldier who has served in field

— Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) February 14, 2015

I've the highest respect for women personally & professionally. My 6 month pregnant soldier wife was on battlefield after parliament attack

— Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) February 14, 2015

We will update the story once in case of updates. With inputs from IANS