MUMBAI, December 22: Reacting to the controversy over his alleged remarks against the Swaminarayan cult's saints, Mumbai sheriff Chandrakant Bakshi today denied having made any insulting remarks and said a point made by him at a seminar had been ``blown out of proportion.''``At a free forum discussion on December 18 on `Women - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,' I had posed a query about relevance of a situation wherein women were considered untouchable in Swaminarayan sect when we're on the threshold of the 21st century, as expressions such as dedh-bhanghi used in olden times were prohibited today,'' Bakshi said.
On the demand for his ouster made by Sena's Gujarat vibhag pramukh Mukesh Gandhi, Bakshi said he was saddened by the row and was ready to quit tomorrow. Meanwhile, Devendra Makwana of Meghwal Samaj, along with a large number of Swaminarayan sadhus today took out a morcha to BJP's Nariman Point office pressing for Bakshi's ouster.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.