Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya courted controversy on Saturday with his tone-deaf remarks on rape and women.
Baraiya, legislator from Bhander in Datia, claimed that the highest number of rapes in India happen 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 during an interview with a media outlet.
The video clip of the interview has gone viral.
He went on to ask what "extremely beautiful" women existed among tribals, Dalits, and OBCs.
He alleged that rapes against women from these communities take place because "such instructions are given in their (Hindu) religious scriptures".
He, however, was unable to answer when a reporter asked him to point out the religious scripture that mentioned this.
According to a PTI report, the Congress MLA 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 said.
Lambasting the Congress MLA, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said Baraiya was spreading communal 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.
Madhya Pradesh media in-charge of the BJP Ashish Usha Agrawal shared the purported video on X and demanded that Baraiya be expelled from the Congress.
"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 a social media post.
Reacting to the remarks, All India Muslim Jamaat national president Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi said, "What Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya said, that Dalit women should be raped and that it is written in religious texts, is completely absurd and based on ignorance. Every religion, especially Islam, teaches respect for women..."