This is not the first time that a statement by the Dhavalikars—two brothers who are ministers and are senior leaders of BJP’s coalition partner, regional-outfit Maharastrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) – has sparked controversy. PWD minister Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar had earlier demanded a ban on bikinis on Goa’s beaches, while Deepak, minister for craftsmen training and factories and boilers, had said India would become a ‘Hindu rashtra’ under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“What’s wrong with what my wife said?” Deepak charged, “In the past, rape cases were less because they (women) adhered by Hindu dharma and now such cases are on the rise because of western style of living.”
Pointing out that Lata works for Sanatan Sanstha and had only expressed her views, he added, “She has lived her entire life wearing kumkum and sarees and she was never a victim of eve-teasing. That is what she must have explained to the people.”
On Lata’s advise to Hindu parents, Deepak said, “Children going to convent schools do not learn Indian culture and it is high time Hindu culture is imparted to Hindu children. What is wrong with my wife’s statement?”
Calling himself a follower of Bharatiya sanskriti and spirituality, he said, “Do you want Lata to sit at home and do nothing? She is free to do propaganda of Hindu culture and I am supporting her.”
He added that Christians and Muslims also propagate their religions. “Doing propaganda of Hindu culture is not a bad sign, it is a good sign for the next generation,” said Deepak.
He even pointed to the increase in suicide cases among youngsters and the middle-aged, saying, “If someone had imparted Hindu culture knowledge to these people they would not have committed suicide.”
Lata, on Sunday evening, at a meeting in Margao organized by right-wing group, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), had said, “Now it has become trendy among Indian women in not wearing the kumkum on the forehead, wearing tight and revealing clothes, trimming hair and making weird hairdo, etc… Incidents of rape are on the rise, largely owing to the fact that women have adopted western culture.”
