ICAI asks women to vacate front rows at event on chief guest’s demand

The chief guest at an international conference for chartered accountancy (CA) students, who happens to be a religious figure, reportedly had all women removed from the front rows and even from the backstage and then, ironically, spoke about making India “vikasit” (developed) by 2047.

Even more shockingly, the organisers, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), obliged meekly after its president spoke of the growing number of female CAs in India. The incident has upset people and the ICAI has been drawing severe flak for it.

Women asked to vacate front rows

The ICAI’s International Conference for CA students 2024 was held in Kolkata recently. However, the chief guest, Swami Gyanvatsal, a “motivational speaker” from the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, apparently cannot stand the sight of women in the front five rows. He reportedly threatened to leave the event if his condition was not met.

So, out of the blue, a committee member was reportedly heard announcing over the microphone, “No ladies, no girls, no girl volunteers should even stand during the session, please hurry up as he can come anytime.” The women seated in the front rows and even those working backstage were reportedly requested to troop to the back of the auditorium.

A “vikasit” Bharat, with women at the back

Ridiculously, after this, Swami Gyanvatsal spoke about making India “vikasit” and a “Vishwaguru” by 2047 — evidently parroting phrases often used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other right-wing leaders — prompting one of the attendees to comment on social media, “It certainly isn’t happening with your mindset guruji.”

Ironically, just before that, ICAI president Mr. Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal had drawn attention to the growing number of women in chartered accountancy in India.

Swamiji not new to controversies

Apparently, Swami Gyanvatsal is not new to such apparently misogynistic controversies. In 2020, he had actually walked out of an event without delivering his speech after seeing women seated in the front row. However, the organisers then had allowed him to walk out rather than insult the women in the auditorium.

The ICAI, unfortunately, failed to show that kind of dignity.