Senior BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya has once again stirred a controversy with his comments on women’s attire.

Speaking at a public event in Indore, the urban development minister disapproved of women wearing what he termed as “skimpy clothes,” drawing criticism for perpetuating regressive stereotypes.

“I don’t like girls who wear skimpy clothes,” Vijayvargiya said, while comparing Western cultural norms with Indian values.

“In the West, a woman wearing fewer clothes is considered beautiful. I don’t agree with that. Here in India, we consider a girl beautiful when she dresses well, wears jewelry and adorns herself gracefully,” he added.

Elaborating further, the minister drew a controversial analogy between short speeches and short dresses.

“There’s a saying in Western countries that a woman who wears fewer clothes is considered very beautiful, just as a leader who speaks less is considered good. But I don’t believe in that. I believe a woman is a form of the goddess. She should wear nice clothes. I don’t find women in revealing clothes attractive,” he remarked.

He also recounted an incident where he advised young women seeking selfies with him to dress “properly”.

“Sometimes girls come to take selfies with me. I tell them – ‘Beta, come in proper clothes next time, then we’ll take a photo,’” Vijayvargiya said.

This is not the first time the BJP leader has found himself amidst controversy with his statements on women.

In 2022, while attending a Hanuman Jayanti event in Indore, he said: “I won’t lie on Hanuman Jayanti... but girls these days wear such filthy clothes... We call women goddesses, but they don’t appear that way... They look like Shurpanakha (a demoness from Hindu mythology). God has given you a beautiful body, at least wear decent clothes. Teach your children values,” he had said.