There was nothing objectionable in what he said, Vikram Saini said later.
Highlights
- BJP workers could buy land and get married in Kashmir: MLA Vikram Saini
- "The workers are very excited," said Mr Saini
- He later said he did not find anything objectionable with his remarks
A BJP lawmaker explaining the merits of the centre's move to end special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 offered this appalling point - that party workers could now marry fair women from Kashmir. Vikram Saini, Uttar Pradesh legislator, is no stranger to controversy. His misogynistic statements have been caught on camera.
With the government's Kashmir decision, BJP workers could now go there, buy plots of land and get married, Vikram Saini said on Tuesday at a function at Muzaffarnagar to celebrate the Article 370 move.
"The workers are very excited and those who are bachelors can get married there. There is no issue now. Earlier, there was lot of atrocities on women. If a woman from Kashmir got married to a man from Uttar Pradesh, her citizenship would be revoked. There was different citizenship for India and Kashmir," the lawmaker says in Hindi in a clip widely circulated on social media.
"Muslim workers should celebrate. They can get married to fair Kashmiri girls. There should be celebrations. Everyone should celebrate, be it Hindus or Muslims. This is something the entire country should be celebrating."
Asked about his misogynistic statement later, the lawmaker, quite unrepentant, said there was nothing objectionable in what he said.
"Now anyone can get married to a Kashmiri girl without any issue. That is all I said and it is the truth. This is freedom for the people of Kashmir. That is why we organised the event. Now, Kashmiris have attained freedom," Vikram Saini said, according to news agency IANS. "Modiji has fulfilled our dream. The whole country is celebrating the move."
Earlier this year, Saini, who represents the Khatauli assembly constituency, had gained much notoriety with his threat to "bomb" those who felt unsafe in India.
"Those who fell unsafe in this country are anti-nationals and do not deserve to live here. Give me a ministry and I will strap bombs on to them and blast them," he said at an event in January.