Bihar Cong slams remarks by Uttarakhand minister's husband on women

Patna, Jan 5 (PTI) The Bihar Congress on Monday slammed Girdhari Lal Sahu, husband of Uttarakhand minister Rekha Arya, over his alleged controversial remarks about women, terming them an "insult to the sisters and daughters" of the state.

Addressing a press conference here, Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to clarify their silence on the issue.

"Sahu's statement is an insult to the sisters and daughters of the state. Why are Modi and Kumar maintaining a stoic silence over the insult of Bihar’s women?" Ram said.

A purported video circulating on social media showed Sahu making controversial remarks about women from Bihar at an event in Uttarakhand’s Almora.

In the video, Sahu was allegedly heard saying, "Will you get married in old age? If you are unable to get married, we will bring a girl for you from Bihar… you can get one there for Rs 20,000 to 25,000." PTI, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

"Such political hooligans repeatedly play with the dignity of Bihar's sisters and daughters. This is the culture of the BJP. We strongly oppose such statements and will protest from the streets to the Assembly", Ram said.

Questioning who had given BJP leaders the right to make such remarks, Ram demanded immediate action against Sahu.

"If the PM truly wants to protect the dignity of sisters and daughters, then the minister should be immediately removed from the cabinet and her husband expelled from the BJP," he said.

Referring to the PM's ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ slogan, Ram said people were now saying "save daughters from BJP leaders".

Citing past incidents, Ram said despite misdeeds committed against women by BJP leaders such as Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Kuldeep Singh Sengar and others, the party had retained them instead of taking action, which, he alleged, exposed the BJP’s true character.

He said Bihar’s daughters were making strides in media, politics and administration, and that some frightened elements were trying to tarnish their image. PTI PKD MNB