New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari over his controversial remark suggesting that women in Madhya Pradesh consume more alcohol than anywhere else in the country.

BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi termed the statement “deeply condemnable” and alleged it reflected the Congress’ “anti-women mindset.”

Addressing a Press conference in Delhi, Trivedi said Patwari’s comment was not only an insult to the women of Madhya Pradesh but reflects “a mirror into the Congress’ regressive and prejudiced attitude towards women.”

He accused the Congress of repeatedly making derogatory statements against women, recalling past remarks by senior Congress leaders including Digvijaya Singh, Shiv Prakash Jaiswal, and Rajasthan leader Shanti Dhariwal — who had controversially said rapes occur more in Rajasthan because it is a “state of men.”

Trivedi also referred to instances where women leaders left Congress over alleged mistreatment, mentioning Angika Dutta, Radhika Kheda, and Priyanka Chaturvedi.

He cited the case of Neha Hiremath, daughter of a Karnataka Congressman, who was killed in a knife attack by a man she was in a relationship with but wanted to break up with, and the “insensitive” reaction by the state home minister, dismissing it as a matter of “love gone wrong.”

“This shows the Congress’ mindset towards women — not only in their rhetoric but also in how they deal with their own,” Trivedi said.

He further alleged that Congress leaders had mocked sensitive issues portrayed in films like ‘The Kashmir Files’ and ‘The Kerala Story’, which highlighted crimes against women.

Highlighting the BJP’s record, Trivedi said Madhya Pradesh, under BJP governments, was the first state to introduce 35 per cent reservation for women and later 50 per cent reservation in local bodies.

He also pointed to schemes like Ladli Laxmi Yojana and initiatives in the name of Ahilyabai Holkar for women’s empowerment.

Trivedi demanded that the Congress apologise to the women of Madhya Pradesh for Patwari’s remarks, calling them “insulting and unacceptable.”

–IANS

sas/rad