Almost a week after BJP Lok Sabha MP Tirath Singh Rawat was sworn in as Uttarakhand chief minister, he has triggered a row with his remarks on women wearing ripped jeans. Uttarakhand CM Rawat said he was shocked to meet an NGO woman wearing ripped jeans while on a flight with kids.
Tirath Singh Rawat said, “If such women go out in the society to meet people and solve their problems, what kind of message are we giving out to society, to our kids? It all starts at home. What we do, our kids follow. A child who is taught the right culture at home, no matter how modern he becomes, will never fail in life.”
“[Women] showing bare knees, wearing ripped denim and looking like rich kids These are the values being given now [at home]. Where is this coming from, if not at home?”
He blamed it on the influence of western culture on India’s youth. Tirath Singh Rawat was speaking at a workshop organised by the Uttarakhand State Commission for Protection of Child Rights in Dehradun.
Rawat said such things did not happen when he was in school. He said, “What is the fault of teachers or schools? Where am I taking my son, showing his knees and in tattered jeans? Girls are no less, showing their knees. Is this good?”
The CM made the controversial remark while addressing a child substance abuse workshop in the state. Tirath Singh described in detail the attire of a woman who sat next to him in a flight. The woman, he said, identified herself as a NGO worker and was travelling with her kids. He said: “You run an NGO, wear jeans ripped at the knees, move about in society, children are with you, what values you will teach?”
Terming ripped jeans as “kainchi wala sanskar” (scissor culture), Rawat claimed it is being taught that one will not be called rich without ripped jeans and bare knees.
Later on, #RippedJeansTwitter started to trend online and images flooded the micro-blogging site. While some tagged the CM in their posts, most criticised him indirectly saying, “clothes don’t define character” and “no one should be judged on their attires”.