BAPS-Eiffel Tower controversy: India distances itself from the row; MEA says 'matter between entities concerned'
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says government was aware of the opening of a BAPS temple near Paris, but has nothing to do with the incident
The Ministry of External Affairs has distanced itself from a controversy involving a BAPS delegation's visit to the Eiffel Tower, where female staff alleged they were sidelined. This led to employee strikes and strong condemnation from French officials who deemed the reported conditions unacceptable and a violation of gender equality principles. The BAPS temple has since apologized, and an investigation into the incident has been launched by Paris authorities.
The Ministry of External Affairs has distanced itself from a controversy involving a BAPS delegation's visit to the Eiffel Tower, where female staff alleged they were sidelined. This led to employee strikes and strong condemnation from French officials who deemed the reported conditions unacceptable and a violation of gender equality principles. The BAPS temple has since apologized, and an investigation into the incident has been launched by Paris authorities.
The Ministry of External Affairs has distanced itself from a controversy involving a BAPS delegation's visit to the Eiffel Tower, where female staff alleged they were sidelined. This led to employee strikes and strong condemnation from French officials who deemed the reported conditions unacceptable and a violation of gender equality principles. The BAPS temple has since apologized, and an investigation into the incident has been launched by Paris authorities.
The ministry of external affairs, on Thursday, responded to the controversy surrounding a BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam) delegation's visit to the Eiffel Tower, distancing itself from the controversy.
According to news agency ANI, when asked about the controversy at a media briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government was aware of the opening of a BAPS temple near Paris but described the Eiffel Tower episode as a matter for the parties involved.
"We are aware of the opening of a temple by the BAPS Sanstha in the Paris area. As to the particular issue pertaining to the Tower, this is a matter purely between the entities concerned," Jaiswal said.
His remarks came after the Eiffel Tower was closed for a day on Monday when employees went on strike over allegations that female staff members had been "moved away" during a visit by a Hindu religious group.
The incident reportedly occurred on Saturday when around 100 people associated with the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha visited the monument.
Diane Davoine, a union representative in France, said female employees had been "moved away from their workstations as the delegation passed by".
Employees condemned what they described as workplace instructions that resulted in female staff being sidelined because of their gender.
Its operating company, Societe d'Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE), acknowledged that the BAPS delegation had requested limited "interactions with women". It also said that the "conditions should not have been accepted".
The incident drew criticism from several senior French politicians. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said the anger expressed by Eiffel Tower employees was legitimate and described the reported conditions as unacceptable.
"It is not acceptable that such conditions can be tolerated," Gregoire said, adding that everyone at the Eiffel Tower should be able to move and work freely regardless of gender.
He said an investigation would be launched as quickly as possible to establish what had happened.
France's National Assembly President Yael Braun-Pivet also criticised the incident, saying women should not be required to step aside to accommodate the demands of foreign visitors.
"I refuse to allow women to be compelled to step aside in order to meet the demands of foreign visitors. Welcoming others never means renouncing our values," she said, according to news agency PTI.
French Minister for Gender Equality and the Fight Against Discrimination Aurore Berge called the incident "unacceptable".
"In France, we do not ask women to erase themselves. No dogma, no religion is above the laws of the Republic," she said.
Following the backlash, the BAPS Hindu temple in Paris has apologised over the incident and said it took the concerns raised "very seriously".
It said the visit had been organised in coordination with Eiffel Tower teams at the beginning of normal opening hours to minimise disruption to other visitors.
"To our knowledge, at no time was access to the Eiffel Tower denied to anyone," BAPS said, while offering "our sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by this situation".
The organisation said it remained "deeply committed to the universal values of mutual respect and service to others".