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Bhopal: A Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA has made a political stance, but his own party has distanced itself from his comments. The BJP has also asked the Congress to clear its stance on the entire issue.
During an interview, Bhander MLA Phool Singh Baraiya made a remark linking rape-related crimes to castes. The MLAs, while referring to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities, added that women from these castes are targeted due to a "distorted belief system", which are rooted in ancient textbooks, NDTV reported.
Giving reference to ‘Rudrayamal Tantra’, the MLA opined that perpetrators were of the view that sexual violence against women from a certain caste helps in spiritual merit, which is equivalent to going on a pilgrimage.
Baraiya went on to add that rape is committed by a group of perpetrators rather than by an individual. Speaking about crimes against infants, he claimed that such actions are encouraged by a "perverted mindset" with these kind of beliefs.
“It is written that by having intercourse with a woman of this caste, you will get the reward of a pilgrimage. Now, if he can't go on a pilgrimage, then what is the alternative? Have intercourse at home, and you will be rewarded... He will try to rape her by grabbing her in the dark or light. A man cannot rape a woman without her consent. That's why four-month-old and one-year-old girls are raped. He does it for a reward,” NDTV quoted the Congress MLA as saying.
His remarks have led to political backlash in the state. While the Congress has distanced itself from making any comments, the BJP has slammed his comments and said that the remarks were ‘a serious ideological exposure.’
"Weighing women on the scale of 'beauty' and describing heinous crimes against Dalit and tribal women as a so-called sacred act is misogyny, anti-Dalit thinking and a direct assault on humanity," Madhya Pradesh BJP media in-charge Ashish Agarwal said while speaking to NDTV.
Hitting out at the Congress, Agarwal asked whether the comments made by the Baraiya reflected the ideology of the grand old party, in the garb of ‘save the constitution’ campaigns. He demanded that Baraiya asked the Congress to clarify its stand on the matter.
