BHOPAL: A senior Madhya Pradesh cabinet minister has kicked up a political row by making controversial remarks about Thakur and other upper-caste women.
In a video of his speech, minister for food and civil supplies Bisahulal Singh (who hails from the tribal community) is seen saying Thakur and other upper-caste women should be dragged out of their houses and made to work in society to ensure equality.
Singh was addressing a public event in his native Anuppur district on Wednesday, November 24, 2021.
"Thakur and certain other upper caste people have confined their women to homes, while weaker sections women work in the open, spanning from cutting standing crops to cleaning floors. How can equality be attained? So drag the Thakur and other upper-caste women and make them work in the society to ensure equality," Singh said.
In the same video, Singh is seen addressing the Thakur (Kshatriya) caste as "Thakur-Thakar."
Earlier, in October 2020, the same minister was booked under IPC Sections 294 and 506 for making derogatory remarks against his rival Congress candidate's wife ahead of by-polls to 26 assembly seats in the state.
He had then referred to rival Congress candidate Vishwanath Singh's second wife Rajwati Singh as rakhail aurat (mistress).
Singh was among the 22 Congress MLAs whose switchover to BJP in March 2020, had resulted in fall of the 15 months old Cong regime led by Kamal Nath.
The senior cabinet minister is the second ruling BJP politician in the state to have made a controversial remark about Thakur women in recent weeks.
A few weeks back, BJP MLA from Bhopal's Huzur seat and Vidhan Sabha's ex Pro Tem Speaker Rameshwar Sharma had triggered a controversy by making an objectionable remark about the love affair of Mughal Emperor Akbar and his Rajput Queen Jodha Bai.
Reacting to the MP minister's recent remark about Thakur and other upper-caste women, Leader of Opposition in MP Vidhan Sabha Kamal Nath tweeted," it seems BJP leaders have made a habit of insulting Thakur, Sindhis, Baniya, Brahmin and other upper castes."
Importantly, a few weeks back, BJP national general secretary in-charge for MP, Murlidhar Rao had triggered a controversy by stating that Brahmin and Baniyas were in his pocket.