Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], August 26 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Tuesday strongly criticised state Congress president Jitu Patwari over his remark alleging that women in Madhya Pradesh consume more liquor than those in any other state, calling it an "insult to the sisters of the entire state" and demanding an apology.
"The state government is continuously working for the Ladli Behans and many schemes were started by our previous governments. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also gave 33 per cent reservation to women to contest elections in parliamentary and assembly polls. However, the Congress government never provided reservations, never gave importance to sisters, and never ran any schemes for women. On the contrary, calling the sisters drunkards by the Congress is an insult to the sisters of the entire state. I think the Congress President should apologise...This is very unfortunate," CM Yadav told ANI.
CM Yadav also claimed that the Congress government never gave importance to women in the state, and on the contrary, made such a remark, which is an insult to them.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Bhopal on Monday, Patwari had said that women in Madhya Pradesh consume the maximum liquor in comparison to other states and blamed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav for the state's unemployment situation.
"...If your son is unemployed, if your son is coming home in an inebriated state, then I am saying this with 100% confidence that the BJP, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Mohan Yadav are responsible for this. The women in Madhya Pradesh consume the maximum alcohol in comparison to any other state in the country. This is what the BJP has done in the state. The highest consumption of alcohol in the country is in Madhya Pradesh," Patwari said.
Reacting to Patwari's comments, Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya also slammed the Congress leader, calling the statement "foolish" and demanding an apology from the entire party.
"I don't know where he got this data from; this is a very foolish statement, and it is an insult to women. Insulting women has been the habit of Congress... And this habit has made Jitu Patwari think that women of Madhya Pradesh drink more alcohol. It is a completely foolish remark. I believe that women of Madhya Pradesh are more religious. The atmosphere in Madhya Pradesh is virtuous, so making such remarks is an insult to women. The entire Congress should apologise to women," Vijayvargiya said.