Mayawati condemns Khattar's remarks on Kashmiri women

Lucknow: BSP president Mayawati on Saturday condemned Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s remarks on Kashmiri women and asked the BJP leadership to take stern action against those indulging in “anti-women acts”.

Khattar has courted a controversy with his remarks that “some people are now saying that as Kashmir is open, brides will be brought from there”.

He was expressing concern over low sex ratio in Haryana at an event in Fatehabad on Friday when he made the remarks in an apparent reference to the scrapping of the special status for Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution.

“Now some people say, Kashmir is open, they (brides) will be brought from there. But jokes apart, if (sex) ratio is improved, then there will be a right balance in society,” the Haryana chief minister said.

His remarks drew flak from various quarters, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi terming them “despicable”.

The BSP president, in a tweet in Hindi, said, “The BSP strongly condemns the mean mentality and indecency shown by the chief minister of Haryana towards Kashmiri sisters and daughters after abrogation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP top leadership needs to take cognizance of such anti-women acts and initiate immediate action.”

Reacting to criticism from various quarters, the chief minister accused the media of “running a misleading and factless campaign” against him and shared on Twitter a full video of the event.

“Daughters are our pride. The daughters of entire country are our daughters,” Khattar tweeted while clarifying his position.

He also attacked Rahul Gandhi and advised him not to react on “distorted news”.