Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya
Credit: X/@BaraiyaINC
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya kicked up a controversy by linking beauty to rape and also claiming sexual crimes against women from "certain castes" got encouragement from some scriptures that describe it as "teerth phal" or "fruit of pilgrimage".
Baraiya's statements, which came to the fore on Saturday, when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is in Indore in connection with the water contamination tragedy there, evoked strong condemnation from the ruling BJP.
Baraiya, legislator from Bhander in Datia, made the remarks during an interview to a media outlet and a video clip soon went viral on social media.
In the video, Baraiya is seen claiming that the highest number of rapes in India occur against women belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
"So what I mean is the theory of rape is that if a man is walking on the road and sees a beautiful girl, extremely beautiful, his mind may get distracted. Then rape can happen," he said while going on to ask what "extremely beautiful" women existed among tribals, Dalits and OBCs.
Baraiya, a former MP Bahujan Samaj Party chief, further opined that rapes against women from these communities take place because "such instructions are given in their (Hindu) religious scriptures".
However, when a reporter asked him to point out the religious scripture which mentioned this, Baraiya could not give a clear answer.
Baraiya, though, went on to interpret a Sanskrit verse, which he said laid down that having intercourse with women of "certain castes" yields "teerth phal" or "fruit of pilgrimage".
"Now if he cannot go on a pilgrimage, what option was given while sitting at home? That by having intercourse with their women, one gets that fruit? Then what will he do? In darkness, he will try to catch someone. One person can never rape a woman. If she does not consent, he will not do it," Baraiya claimed.
Hitting out at such remarks, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said Baraiya was spreading social hatred at a time when Rahul Gandhi is visiting Indore in the state.
"I hope Rahul Gandhi expels him from the party so that it will appear that he (Gandhi) has respect for other sections of society. I condemn this statement. Baraiya is an MLA, so he has a responsibility to avoid such remarks," Yadav said.
BJP's Madhya Pradesh media in-charge Ashish Usha Agrawal shared the purported video on X and demanded Baraiya's expulsion from the Congress.
He said weighing women on a "scale of beauty" and describing the heinous crime of rape against SC-ST women as "teerth phal" amounted to an admission of a criminal mindset.
"Shame! This is a direct attack on women, Dalits and humanity. Today, when Rahul Gandhi is coming to Madhya Pradesh, the country wants to know whether this is the real thinking of the Congress. Is this the hypocrisy of 'save the Constitution'?" Agrawal said in his X post.
MP Congress president Jitu Patwari and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Umang Singhar have no right to remain silent on the issue, he added.
"Either there should be an immediate apology and expulsion or accept that the Congress stands with an anti-women and anti-Dalit mindset," Agrawal said.