Overview
- Phool Singh Baraiya, a Congress MLA from Bhander, said in a recorded interview that seeing a “beautiful” woman can distract a man and alleged some scriptures promise ‘teerth phal’ for sex with women from SC, ST and OBC communities.
- The clip went viral on social media, prompting sharp criticism from BJP leaders including Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Sambit Patra, who called for his suspension or expulsion.
- The Madhya Pradesh Congress termed the remarks his personal view and asked him to explain, with party leaders stating rape cannot be linked to caste or religion.
- Baraiya later issued a video message saying he had cited philosopher Harimohan Jha’s writing and did not endorse the view, after earlier failing to identify a specific scripture when pressed by reporters.
- The controversy intensified as Rahul Gandhi visited the state, with opponents leveraging the episode and commentators noting Baraiya’s history of inflammatory statements.