Tamil actor Siddharth faced massive social media backlash Monday over his comments on ace badminton player Sania Nehwal. Siddharth’s ‘subtle cock champion of the world’ tweet for Saina did not go down well with netizens who called him out for outraging a women’s modesty. 

Later, actor Siddharth issued a clarification stating that he did not mean to disrespect anyone and his tweet contained no kind of insinuation. Taking to his Twitter handle on Monday, the ‘Rang De Basanti’ actor wrote, “COCK & BULL” That’s the reference. Reading otherwise is unfair and leading! Nothing disrespectful was intended, said or insinuated. Period.”

Check out his tweet here:

“COCK & BULL”

That’s the reference. Reading otherwise is unfair and leading!

Nothing disrespectful was intended, said or insinuated. Period. 
— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) January 10, 2022

For the unversed, on January 5, Nehwal had tweeted her concern over the incident in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s convoy being stopped for 15-20 minutes on a flyover in Punjab’s Bathinda as the road was blocked by protesting farmers.

“No nation can claim itself to be safe if the security of its own PM gets compromised. I condemn, in the strongest words possible, the cowardly attack on PM Modi by anarchists,” Nehwal had tweeted.

Retweeting her post, Siddharth wrote, “Subtle cock champion of the world…Thank God we have protectors of India. Shame on you #Rihanna.”

Subtle cock champion of the world… Thank God we have protectors of India.

Shame on you #Rihanna https://t.co/FpIJjl1Gxz
— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) January 6, 2022

The National Commission for Women in a statement on Monday said that the comment by the actor is “misogynist and outrageous to the modesty of a woman amounting to disrespect and insult to dignity of women on social media platforms.”

Taking suo motu cognizance of the matter, NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to the Director General of Police Maharashtra to immediately investigate the matter and register FIR under relevant provisions of the law. The NCW Chairperson has also written to the Resident Grievance Officer of Twitter India to “immediately block” the actor’s account and take “appropriate action” against the actor ” for posting offensive remarks” on Saina’s post, which it said has “outraged her modesty” and “insulted her right to live with dignity”.

Meanwhile, speaking to ANI, Saina’s father Harvir Singh Nehwal said, “I have gone through all the details. Whatever he(Siddharth) said is not right. I got to know that he is a big actor in the South. He used very wrong words against Saina. It’s very wrong for him to give such derogatory statements.” Harvir also said that Saina is currently in Delhi and preparing for the India Open 2022. “I spoke to Saina over phone and she said that she didn’t like someone writing about her. Even other organisations like National Commision for Women came in support and said that was very bad and never heard these type of words coming from a gentleman,” said Harvir. “We condemn the statement given by him and he should apologise for his actions, whether it has been given intentionally or unintentionally. It is not good for a woman to be called by these words,” he added.