BJP MLA makes sexist comment in Rajasthan Assembly. ‘BJP budget a son, Congress budget a daughter’

BJP MLA Bahadur Singh Koli also said the Bhajanlal Sharma government’s budget was youthful and productive, while Ashok Gehlot's budget was an old-age budget.

File photo of BJP MLA Bahadur Singh Koli

New Delhi: In a shockingly sexist comment in the Rajasthan Assembly Monday BJP MLA Bahadur Singh Koli compared the Bhajanlal Sharma government’s budget to a “chora” (son) and that of the previous Congress government’s budget to a “chori” (daughter), claiming that it was because of this that the Congress was in the opposition today.

During the discussion on the budget, MLA Koli described the BJP government’s budget as a “youthful budget” and the previous Congress government’s budget as an “old-age budget” also comparing the two to the birth of a boy and a girl respectively. The comment led to an uproar from the Congress MLAs in the Assembly.

Finance minister Diya Kumari had presented the budget on 11 February.

Speaking during the debate on the state Budget, Koli, who represents the Weir constituency in Bharatpur district, said the BJP’s budget was youthful and productive in contrast to the Congress budget during former chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s tenure, which, he said, was an old-age budget.

“Our Honorable Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, in our government, produced a son in the first budget, then produced a son again in the second and third budgets as well. The one who produces a son in his youth is always useful. And when Ashok Gehlot was the chief minister, he made announcements in his last budget, that’s why it did not produce a son; a daughter was produced. And that is exactly the reason why you are sitting in the opposition today,” Koli said.

“This is not a budget, but a declaration of intentions, the flight of dreams for a new Rajasthan. Whatever questions the Opposition raises, it is a budget for the people,” he said. Ours is a budget of youth and theirs is the budget of old-age, Koli explained.

A video of his comments in the Assembly has gone viral on social media.

The Congress came down heavily on the legislator as well as the BJP and demanded an immediate apology from Koli.

“Imagine an elected legislator saying such things and that too in the Assembly. It shows their narrow mind and their thought process. Just to criticise the Congress they have crossed all limits. This shows their biased mindset towards gender and this is nothing but a sexist comment. He should apologise,” said Swarnim Chaturvedi, Rajasthan Congress spokesperson.

(Edited by Viny Mishra)