Nitish's 'men not ready to take responsibility' remark sparks uproar

VAISHALI: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sparked controversy by saying that the population in Bihar would not get under control as men do not take responsibility while women remain uneducated prompting opposition BJP to slam him for indecent language and tarnishing the state's image.

The Janata Dal-United leader was addressing a public meeting in Vaishali on Saturday when he made the remark that was seen by the opposition as "tarnishing the image of his post for using improper language to explain the fertility rate in the state".

The chief minister was addressing a public gathering amid his ongoing "Samadhan Yatra" and it came on the day his government launched the first phase of the caste-based census.

"Mahilayen padh lengi tabhi yeh prajanan dar ghatega... abhi bhi wahi hai. Aaj agar mahilayen nahin padhi huyi hai, jo mard log jis tarikey se roj-roj karte hi rehta hai, usko dhyaan mein hi nahin rehta ki bachcha paida nahin karana hai... Mahila padhi rehti hai to unko sab cheej ka gyaan ho jaata hai ki bhai kaise humko bachna hai... (Only when women are educated, the population growth rate will be arrested. It has still not decreased and the rate remains the same. Had women been better educated or had they been aware they would know how to protect themselves from getting pregnant. Men are not ready to consider the outcome of their action and as women are not properly educated they are unable to put their foot down and stop the population growth)," said the Bihar CM.

The statement by Nitish Kumar has created a political uproar in the state with BJP leader Samrat Chaudhary saying that Nitish has tarnished the image of Bihar.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council, Samrat Chaudhary, has lashed out at the chief minister alleging that he has used indecent and derogatory language in public. "The indecent words used by Chief Minister Mr. Nitish Kumar are the height of insensitivity. By using such words, he is tarnishing the dignity of the post of Chief Minister," tweeted Chaudhary.