Congress MLA from Madhya Pradesh, Phool Singh Baraiya, sparked controversy on Saturday after claiming that beautiful women could “disturb” men, which could lead to rape, and also linked rape to religious scriptures.
Outrage erupted in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday after Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya made controversial remarks on rape, beauty, caste and religion that many have slammed as regressive, dangerous and victim-blaming. In a video uploaded on his Facebook page, Baraiya claimed that the mere sight of a “beautiful woman” could mentally “disturb” men and potentially lead to rape.
"Rape ki theory yeh hai ki koi bhi dimaag ka aadmi agar raste par jaate hue kisi khoobsurat ladki ko dekh le, to uska mann vichlit ho sakta hai aur rape ho sakta hai" (“The theory of rape is that any man, if he sees a beautiful woman while walking on the road, can get disturbed, and rape can happen”), he said in the video.
Baraiya went further, claiming that certain religious scriptures allegedly legitimised sexual violence by offering spiritual rewards. Without naming any specific religion, he alleged that such texts suggested rape as an alternative path to religious merit if pilgrimage was not possible.
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“Yeh likha hai ki is jaati ke saath sahvas karne se ye teerth ka phal milega” (“It is written that having intercourse with a person of this caste will give the spiritual reward of this pilgrimage”), he said, adding, "Fir wo kya krega? Andhere me pakadne ki koshish krega" ("Then what will he do? Try to catch in the dark").
'Which adivasi woman is beautiful': Congress MLA's bizarre rape theory
The Congress MLA claimed that rape cases involving women from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes occurred despite them not being “beautiful,” once again invoking scriptures as the reason.
“Adivasi me kaun si ati sundar stree hai, SC ki kaun si aisi Sundar stree hai, OBC me sundar stree hai? Kyun hota hai balatkaar? Unke dharm granthon me is tarah ke nirdesh diye gye hain." (Which Adivasi woman is very beautiful, which SC woman is very beautiful, which OBC woman is beautiful? Why does rape happen? The instructions are given in their scriptures), he said.
Baraiya also linked such beliefs to sexual crimes against children, while simultaneously making the controversial claim that rape cannot occur without consent.
"Ek vyakti ek mahila ka kabhi rape nahi kar sakta yadi wo sehmat na ho."
The remarks have triggered intense political backlash and public fury. BJP Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan strongly condemned the statement, calling it unacceptable and deeply hurtful.
“For me, daughters are like goddesses. We cannot view daughters by dividing them on the basis of caste or society," Chouhan said. "How much more will you divide society? Will you now divide daughters as well? Such indecent remarks should never be made. This is personally very painful for me,” he added.
