Murli Manohar Joshi flays Deepika's video

Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Wednesday flayed Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone's video on women empowerment as "height of lack of consciousness".

"We don't realise how much we have changed. It has been an Indian tradition of addressing woman as 'mother', but now there are objections at being called a mother," Joshi said here at an event.

"When god wanted to be everywhere, he created mother. But now that has become an old concept. Now I have a choice. Now you see we have a choice (video). Now you are a body, a commodity. This is the height of lack of consciousness," the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said.

Addressing an event to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, Joshi said people have lost their consciousness and identity by blindly aping the West.

"While foreigners keep marvelling about India's rich culture, and traditional ways that were far more scientific, we continue to follow the West and shun our own traditions and cultures. We have lost our consciousness, our identity," he said.

Titled "My Choice", the video has been released jointly by Deepika and director Homi Adajania as part of a campaign on women empowerment.