BHOPAL: A viral video showing the newly sworn in union minister of state Savitri Thakur writing the central government’s guiding slogan ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ incorrectly in Devnagari script, has given the opposition Congress fresh fuel to attack the Narendra Modi government.
The video which pertains to an event organised by a local NGO in tribal dominated Dhar district on Tuesday, as part of the statewide launch of the new academic session of schools under the ‘School Chale Hum Abhiyan’, shows Thakur — the newly sworn in union minister of state for women and child development write the Modi government’s slogan incorrectly.
Thakur, the Class XII pass second-time BJP MP from Dhar-ST seat of western MP (who defeated Congress’s post graduate in Sanskrit candidate Radheyshyam Muvel by 2.14 lakh plus votes in the 2024 LS polls) is seen writing ‘Beti Padhao Bacchav’ on the whiteboard instead of the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ slogan. Mocking at the development, MP Congress’s media advisor and senior party leader KK Mishra wrote on social media platform X, “Whose misfortune should we consider this…country, democracy, constitution or education policy.”
Leader of opposition Umang Singhar (whom Thakur defeated in 2014 LS polls from Dhar-ST seat only by over 1.04 lakh votes) wrote a longer post over the issue, while sharing the concerned video on X.
“What kind of leadership is this….??? Does the Prime Minister want only rubber stamp ministers in his government? There is no set standard as to how a public representative should be, but at least he should be literate! Dhar MP and union minister of state for women and child development Savitri Thakur cannot even write two words. It can be understood what the children (at the Tuesday event) must have felt when they saw her write incorrectly! Voters should have thought before electing such a public representative. The Modi government doesn’t want educated leaders who can raise questions.”
While the first-time minister evaded media queries over the video in Dhar and Bhopal (this newspaper reached out to her several times, but there was no response), state BJP spokesperson Dr Hitesh Bajpai came out in her defence.