BJP attempts damage control after K Sudhakar's regressive rant lecturing women

In an attempt at damage control after Karnataka health minister Dr. K Sudhakar's controversial statement on 'modern women,' Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary CT Ravi on Monday asserted 'Not all women'. Specifically targeting the educated, and working women, the  BJP leader added that their 'mindset' has broadened a 'little too much'.

CT Ravi also blamed western influence and micro families."In India, we still have faith in family unlike countries such as the US and the UK,” Ravi said, adding that such mindsets of modern Indian women need serious attention and must be pondered upon. 

Karnataka minister: 'Women prefer to be single'

Speaking at NIMHANS, Bengaluru on World Mental Health Day, Dr. K Sudhakar invoked controversy by blaming modernity in Indian society as the reason for stress. Sudhakar lamented that Indians had moved from following their religious beliefs and living in large families to nuclear families - leading to a paradigm shift in thinking. Furthermore, he also rued the fact that modern Indian women preferred to be single and married women preferred surrogacy.

Sudhakar said, "Earlier, we lived in large families unitedly. We followed our religious beliefs. But in the last 2-3 decades, unfortunately, we are going in a western way. We don't want our parents to live with us. A lot of modern women in India want to stay single. Even if they get married, don't want to give birth, they want surrogacy. There is a paradigm shift in our thinking, it's not good".

Thereafter, Congress state chief DK Shivakumar slammed BJP's regressive mentality. He claimed that while BJP was tooting its own horn for women's empowerment, its actual mindset was displayed by its minister. 

This is not the first time Sudhakar has made outlandish claims. Previously in the heat of the Jarkiholi sex scandal, Sudhakar had dared all 225 Karnataka MLAs to undergo a 'monogamy test'. After receiving massive flak from MLAs and the Speaker for his dare, he 'regretted' his statement, an hour later, asking people to 'understand his pain' and not take him 'literally'. Sudhakar - a Congress-turned-BJP leader, is one of the six ministers who had secured an injunction against 68 media houses from airing any CD or other material that is likely to defame them in connection to the Jarkiholi sex scandal.