Maharashtra Minister Sparks Row Over Proposal To Refer To Widows As...

Maharashtra Women and Child Development Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha has proposed the use of the word “Ganga Bhagirathi” to refer to widows in a bid to offer them respect.

A letter written on Wednesday to his department's principal secretary in which Mr Lodha made the proposal has gone viral on social media.

The Congress slammed Mr Lodha and sought his apology, while several social activists said the need of the hour was to undertake measures for equal rights and social safety for women rather than such "superficial and unwarranted decisions".

In the letter, Mr Lodha said Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested the concept of referring to persons with disabilities as “divyang”, which resulted in such people gaining respect in society.

"The society's outlook towards 'divyang' people has drastically changed,” the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader noted.

“Prepare a detailed proposal for a discussion on the use of the word 'Ganga Bhagirathi' for widows on similar lines,” Mr Lodha said in the letter.

The minister later in a video statement said, “The issue is only under consideration and no action has been taken in this direction. I can assure you that no action will be taken until the proposal is submitted and properly discussed in the department.” Terming the decision as painful, Nationalist Congress Party Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule said it must be scrapped immediately.

"Meritorious women like Rajmata Jijabai, Ahilyabai Holkar, Savitribai Phule contributed a lot to the society. While deciding on such a sensitive issue the government should have consulted NGOs, individuals and organisations working for welfare of widows," Ms Sule said.

Slamming the idea, the Maharashtra Congress said it revealed the BJP's "Manuvadi" thought process and was the party's attempt to demean widows.

State Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said Lodha was a "kalank" (blot) on progressive Maharashtra and must apologise to women.

Mr Londhe also said the state had seen several movements to bring about social reform, including one that began in Herwad gram panchayat two years ago to ban widowhood rituals.

Senior Congress leader Ratnakar Mahajan said "ganga bhagirathi" is used in some parts of the state to refer to widows since they cannot be called 'saubhagyawati".

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)