MP minister says women should dress to earn respect not arouse

"Aisa shringar karna chahiye ki dekhnewalon ko mahila ke prati shradhha utpanna ho... uttejana nahi,'' the Industries Minister said in Indore while commenting about the July 9 Guwahati molestation case.

The senior minister said women should behave, dress, live and move in moderation or else it can lead to anarchy in society.

"Unfortunately, women sometimes dress provocatively and that causes perversion in society," he said while cautioning against aping the West where women are "treated as commodity".

The minister did not spare even the National Commission for Women's team that visited Guwahati to probe the molestation, and advised them to rethink about the way they think and dress.

"I should not comment because it's a quasi-judicial body. But when I saw the TV visuals it appeared as if they were out to take part in a fashion parade," the minister said. "Those who are tasked to be society's watchdog should behave themselves."

The minister's comments evoked sharp reactions in the state with young girls taking part in television debates saying they are harassed even when they sport traditional clothes like sari and salwar-kameez. They reminded him that Madhya Pradesh has the dubious distinction of leading other states in crimes against women in rural areas and girls as young as five.

No stranger to controversy, the legislator from Mhow has in the past campaigned against Crezendo, a vibrating condom launched by Hindustan Latex Limited calling it a 'sex toy', and strongly advocated replacing traditional convocation uniform with an Indian version. He was one of the few BJP leaders who spoke openly in favour of Sadhvi Pragya Singh, an accused in several cases of alleged right-wing terror.

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