It is surprising that the administration in Paris, France, in charge of managing institutions like the Eiffel Tower bent over backwards for a Hindoo religious group called BAPS demanding removal of women in and around the monument during their visit. The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a global Hindoo organization headquartered in Ahmedabad, before their visit on 5 September had asked for removal of women employees from the Eiffel Tower. Strangely, the management bowed before such a misogynistic demand and asked women employees to leave their stations and stay out of sight for the entirety of the visit by around 100 members of the BAPS team. Following this, all employees went on strike to protest against this grave insult to women employees and that resulted in the Eiffel Tower remaining shut on 7 September.
Various trade unions and institutions of France as well as political establishment cutting across ideologies, have joined a chorus of protest and condemnation of this misogynistic attempt to corrode their culture and the image of the iconic Eiffel Tower. BAPS describes itself as a “spiritual, volunteer-driven fellowship” dedicated to improving society through individual growth and promoting Hindoo values of faith, service and global harmony. The group which inaugurated a new Hindoo temple in Paris 6 September is said to be close to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Diane Davoine, a union representative for the Eiffel Tower staff, told media that during the visit women had been asked to leave their places of work so that only male staff would be on duty. This was said to be the express wish of BAPS which the management readily honoured.
This, according to Davoine, does not “absolutely” go down well with the employees, especially with women who felt they were humiliated by what happened and by the way some were treated. The strike by the employees brought the whole incident into national focus in France, and the French public and political establishment have vehemently protested against it. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said an investigation has been launched to ascertain what led to the situation. He has said it is not acceptable that such conditions of the visit were tolerated. His words that equality between women and men will never stop “at the foot of our historical monuments, nor anywhere in this city” are to be noted. French Far-Right leader Marine Le Pen echoed him when she said in France the presence of women will never be ‘limited’. Former centre-right French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who has said he will run for the presidency next year, summed up France’s stance on wom en and gender equality saying that in France no culture, no belief, no worship, nothing nor anyone can come to dictate to women their place.
Yael Braun-Pivet, president of France’s National Assembly, said peremptorily that he refused to allow women to be compelled to step aside in order to meet the demands of foreign visitors. Institutions like BAPS and many others continue to embarrass India internationally in ways that would unfortunately not only worsen relations between the two countries, but it also creates social deliberations wherein Indians would face cold-shouldering in those countries. As it is, Indians are increasingly facing more racism outside the country due to unruly behaviour. Indian foreign diplomacy is doing more damage and Hindoo groups like BAPS and ISKCON add fuel to the fire. India’s protracted social and legal struggle with misogyny was highlighted in the Sabarimala temple issue, where entry of menstruating women from the age of 10 to 50 is banned. The legal fight to stop stigmatising women has been continuing since 1990.
Even after the Supreme Court lifted the ban in 2018, the case had to be referred to a larger bench of the apex court which in its latest ruling reserved the verdict. In the recent student protests demanding education reforms in India, young women who participated in the protests and spoke up were targeted the most by trolls defending the government. In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself in a late night address to the nation on Instagram, specifically pointed out how he was deeply disappointed that young women had abused the government during the students’ protests. This unleashed a wave of targeted trolling and online abuse of these young women.
India is known for its strict adherence to patriarchal traditions and misogynistic ways. However, it was surprising how France, considered a champion of women’s rights, succumbed under pressure. The protest in France is about everyone having the right to move about and act freely without gender distinction. The Eiffel Tower Operating Company (SETE) acknowledged that the delegation had requested a visit limiting “interactions with women.” In hindsight, it has said these conditions should not have been accepted. This is the most puzzling aspect of the whole episode. The Eiffel Tower gets about 7 million visitors annually from across the globe and as such it is inconceivable that just for 100 visitors from a fringe Hindoo religious organisation, the management would go against France’s age-old tradition of gender equality.
True, BAPS is close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. In fact, the PM had congratulated the organisation on the consecration ceremony of the temple in Paris and said the inauguration marked “a new era of cultural relations between India and France.” Any suggestion that the Eiffel Tower management was influenced by this connection of BAPS with the Indian Prime Minister would be strange. However, further purchases of Rafale jets is a whole different deal for the French.