A budget speech in the Rajasthan Assembly has turned into a political flashpoint after BJP MLA Bahadur Singh Koli apparently compared the state government’s budget to the “birth of a boy” and that of the previous Congress regime to the “birth of a girl.”
On Wednesday, women’s groups and activists submitted a memorandum to Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani seeking action against Koli.
Representatives from People’s Union for Civil Liberty, National Federation of Indian Women, Rajasthan University Women’s Association, Majzoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan and independent activists met the Speaker.
The memorandum stated: "Such views voiced in the Legislative Assembly could send a harmful message to society and promote gender inequality. Son-preference and devaluation of daughters had long been responsible for severe social issues such as female foeticide, skewed sex ratios and the denial of equal opportunities for women and girls."
They urged the Speaker to expunge the remarks from the Assembly record, issue a warning, initiate disciplinary proceedings, suspend the MLA if required, refer the matter to the Privileges or Ethics Committee, and direct Koli to issue a public and unconditional apology to the women of Rajasthan.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot said on Thursday, “His statement is highly condemnable and reflects the mindset of the BJP. Using such language shows the kind of thinking they hold. The party should clarify whether what Bahadur Kohli, said in the Vidhan Sabha represents BJP policy and whether the party agrees with it. If not, action should be taken, because such inappropriate language sends a very wrong message from the House.”
Participating in the debate on Monday evening, Koli said, "Ours is a youth budget, theirs is an old-age budget...our government gave birth to a boy in the very first budget, and then again in the second and third budgets. The one who gives birth to a boy in their youth is always useful," reported PTI.
Targeting the previous Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot, he added, "And when Ashok Gehlot was the CM, he made announcements in his last budget, but a girl child was born, not a boy child, and hence you're sitting in the Opposition."
The activists further said: "Failure to address the issue would set a dangerous precedent for future political discourse in the state."
They called the comments a violation of women’s dignity and contrary to constitutional guarantees of equality and non-discrimination.
The comments triggered protests from Congress members on Tuesday. Leader of the Opposition Tika Ram Jully criticised the remarks inside the House.
Jully said, "On February 16, your MLA, while speaking on the budget, was making remarks that discriminate between a son and a daughter. Your MLAs were laughing. I feel ashamed that even today, such thinking persists. I, too, have two daughters; I have just married off one of them. And BJP MLAs still hold such views about daughters in this day and age."
He asked the ruling party to clarify its stand and said such analogies had no place in a budget discussion.
Koli defended himself before reporters. "What is wrong with this? It is our Brijbhasha."
When asked if the remarks were inappropriate, he said, "Kya bayan galat tha (How was the statement wrong)? I said a good budget has been tabled; that a chhora (boy) has been born."
He added, "They tabled a populist budget ahead of elections to fool the public, which is like the birth of a girl child."
