4 months ago
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Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya kicked up a contention by linking quality to rape and besides claiming intersexual crimes against women from "certain castes" got encouragement from immoderate scriptures that picture it arsenic "teerth phal" oregon "fruit of pilgrimage".
Mr. Baraiya's statements, which came to the fore connected Saturday (January 17, 2026) erstwhile Congress person Rahul Gandhi is successful Indore successful transportation with the h2o contamination tragedy, evoked beardown condemnation from the ruling BJP.
Mr. Baraiya, legislator from Bhander successful Datia, made the remarks during an interrogation to a media outlet and a video clip soon went viral connected societal media.
In the video, Mr. Baraiya is seen claiming that the highest fig of rapes successful India hap against women belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
"So what I mean is the mentation of rape is that if a antheral is walking connected the roadworthy and sees a beauteous girl, highly beautiful, his caput whitethorn get distracted. Then rape tin happen," helium said portion going connected to inquire what "extremely beautiful" women existed among tribals, Dalits and OBCs.
Mr. Baraiya, a erstwhile MP Bahujan Samaj Party chief, further opined that rapes against women from these communities instrumentality spot due to the fact that "such instructions are fixed successful their (Hindu) spiritual scriptures".
However, erstwhile a newsman asked him to constituent retired the spiritual scripture which mentioned this, Mr. Baraiya could not springiness a wide answer. He, though, went connected to construe a Sanskrit verse, which helium said laid down that having intercourse with women of "certain castes" yields "teerth phal" oregon "fruit of pilgrimage".
"Now, if helium cannot spell connected a pilgrimage, what enactment was fixed portion sitting astatine home? That by having intercourse with their women, 1 gets that fruit? Then what volition helium do? In darkness, helium volition effort to drawback someone. One idiosyncratic tin ne'er rape a woman. If she does not consent, helium volition not bash it," Mr. Baraiya claimed.
Hitting retired astatine specified remarks, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said Mr. Baraiya was spreading societal hatred astatine a clip erstwhile Rahul Gandhi is visiting Indore successful the State.
"I anticipation Rahul Gandhi expels him from the enactment truthful that it volition look that helium [Mr. Gandhi] has respect for different sections of society. I condemn this statement. Baraiya is an MLA, truthful helium has a work to debar specified remarks," Mr. Yadav said.
BJP's Madhya Pradesh media in-charge Ashish Usha Agrawal shared the purported video connected X and demanded Mr. Baraiya's expulsion from the Congress.
He said weighing women connected a "scale of beauty" and describing the heinous transgression of rape against SC-ST women arsenic "teerth phal" amounted to an admittance of a transgression mindset.
"Shame! This is simply a nonstop onslaught connected women, Dalits and humanity. Today, erstwhile Rahul Gandhi is coming to Madhya Pradesh, the state wants to cognize whether this is the existent reasoning of the Congress. Is this the hypocrisy of 'save the Constitution'?" Mr. Agrawal said successful his X post.
“MP Congress president Jitu Patwari and Leader of Opposition successful the Assembly Umang Singhar person nary close to stay soundless connected the issue,” helium added.
"Either determination should beryllium an contiguous apology and expulsion oregon judge that the Congress stands with an anti-women and anti-Dalit mindset," Mr. Agrawal said.
