BHOPAL: Infamous for making controversial remarks, opposition Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya has stirred a hornet’s nest again for his statement linking the rapes of SC, ST and MBC women to 'spiritual benefits'.
Even as the state president of his party distanced himself from the legislator’s remarks, the Scheduled Caste MLA said they were meant for the protection of girls and women from weaker sections.
“The rape theory suggests that beautiful women and girls, distract men, often resulting in rape. It’s the women and girls from SC, ST and most backward castes, who are mostly among rape victims. But which SC, ST or most backward castes woman is so beautiful to trigger their rape,” Baraiya, a second-time Congress MLA from Bhander-SC seat of Datia district, can be seen telling an interviewer in a video.
“Rapes happen more with SC, ST and most backward castes women and girls, because dharma granth (religious scriptures) mention that intercourse with females of these categories, will result in men reaping the spiritual benefits of pilgrimages to Kashi, Ayodhya, Mathura and Prayag. Those men who are unable to physically visit those pilgrimage sites, try to reap the benefits at home only, by eyeing to sexually exploit the women from the SC, ST and most backward segments,” he claimed.
“But no single man can target any woman from these segments alone, so those men target minors aged as low as four months, six months and one year to reap the benefits of the most sacred pilgrimages,” Baraiya can be seen saying in the 2.28 minutes interview.
The highly controversial remarks triggered a massive row in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday when the Congress’s former national president and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was visiting Indore. Baraiya was among the state Congress leaders who accompanied Gandhi in MP’s commercial capital on Saturday.
While the ruling BJP leaders competed with each other in the harshest criticisms of the opposition legislator, his own party distanced itself from Baraiya’s controversial remarks. “No rape can be justified in any way. Anyone who commits rape is a criminal. It cannot be linked to a caste or religion. What he (Baraiya) has said is his personal viewpoint and the party has nothing to do with it,” said Congress state president Jitu Patwari.
Responding to fierce criticism from almost all quarters, Baraiya cited a book he called Rudrayamala Tantra to support his viewpoint of men targeting SC, ST and most backward castes females, particularly minors, to reap spiritual benefits of pilgrimages.
When journalists briefly interacted with LoP Rahul Gandhi in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area, some of them tried to question the Raebareli MP on Baraiya’s controversial remarks, but the state Congress chief Patwari succeeded in diverting the issue.
Most of the ruling BJP leaders took to social media, posting pictures of the Bhander-SC MLA being among the Congress leaders accompanying Gandhi in Indore.
Reacting sharply to Baraiya’s controversial speech, the MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav demanded that Rahul Gandhi oust the MLA from the Congress. The state’s women and child development (WCD) minister Nirmala Bhuria, who hails from the Bhil tribe, also condemned the “shameful and anti-women” remark of the Congress MLA and demanded that Rahul Gandhi oust him from the party.
Social organisations have also reacted strongly. All India Brahmin Society, Madhya Pradesh unit, condemned the statement. Its state president Pushpendra Mishra said such remarks insult women and society at large and demanded accountability.
This isn’t the first time that Baraiya has made controversial remarks, particularly caste-based statements.
Just a few days back, he drew criticism for saying SC-ST MLAs were in a “dog-like condition” under the joint electoral system and opposing tribal identity within Hinduism. In October 2024, he allegedly threatened administrative officers over election-related issues, and in October 2020, he made comments warning of upper castes turning India into a Hindu nation if Dalits did not “wake up.”