Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has courted a controversy with his remarks that “some people are now saying that as Kashmir is open, brides will be brought from there”.
Mr Khattar was expressing concern over low sex ratio in Haryana at an event in Fatehabad on Friday when he made the remarks in an apparent reference to the scrapping of the special status for Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution. “Now some people say, Kashmir is open, they (brides) will be brought from there. But jokes apart, if (sex) ratio is improved, then there will be a right balance in society,” he said.
His remarks drew flak from various quarters, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi terming them “despicable”.
Reacting to the criticism, the Chief Minister accused the media of “running a misleading and factless campaign” against him and shared on Twitter a full video of the event. “Daughters are our pride. Daughters of entire country are our daughters,” Mr Khattar tweeted.
He also attacked Mr Rahul Gandhi. “Dear @RahulGandhi ji, at least at your level you shouldn’t react on distorted news. I’m attaching a video of what I actually said, and in what context — this will give you clarity of mind,” he tweeted.
Haryana minister O.P. Dhankar had in 2014 said he would bring brides from Bihar for youths of Haryana if they were unable to find a match in the state which was infamous for its skewedsex ratio.
DCW wants FIR against Khattar, BJP backs him
The BJP came out in the support of Khattar, saying the Chief Minister was referring to the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign of the party and trying to highlight the problems caused by skewed sex ratio. “The statement of the Chief Minister is being twisted under an agenda,” the Haryana BJP said while sharing the video of CM.
Reacting to the controversy, Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet, “Haryana CM Khattar’s comment on Kashmir women is despicable and shows what years of RSS training does to the mind of a weak, insecure and pathetic man. Women are not asserts to be owned by men.” Hitting back, Khattar tweeted, “Weak, insecure and pathetic are adjectives people use for the President of the Congress Party. Manufa-cturing statements & subsequently destroying their own party does not work in the long term.”
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said Khattar’s remarks depict the mindset of the BJP.
“I am not against the marriage of Kashmiri girls in other states, but the manner in which Haryana CM has said is not right. Such a thing can be said by someone who does not have a daughter. A leader to say like this means the BJP has a bad mindset about girls, as they are not a commodity that you can take them away,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Saturday demanded that an FIR be registered against the Haryana Chief Minister for the objectionable remarks. In the past, Khattar had stoked a controversy over remarks on rape and eve-teasing incidents. At a function in Kalka town of Panchkula district in 2018, Khattar had said, “The incidents of rape have not increased... Rapes used to take place in the past and even today as well. (Only) the concern (over such incidents) has increased.”
