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Indian Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal in 2008 Mustafa Quraishi/AP/Press Association Images
India

Indian minister taken to court over 'old wife' remark

Women’s groups and opposition parties laid into the minister following the comments made at a Hindi-language poetry meeting.

An Indian cabinet minister landed himself in hot water yesterday after claiming that wives lose their appeal with age.

Speaking at a Hindi-language poetry meeting in the northern city of Kanpur on Monday night, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal had said: “An old victory, like a wife of many years, loses its charm over time”.

A non-governmental organisation, Lakshy, has now lodged a complaint in the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate NK Pandey, BBC reports.

The lawyer for the petitioner Anita Dua of Lakshya said a recording of the minister’s comments has been submitted to the magistrate.

After footage of his comments was aired on news channels, several women’s groups and opposition parties laid into Jaiswal who is from the ruling Congress party.

The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party demanded an apology from the minister for making a “sexist remark” and labelled him as an “insensitive” man.

“We will write a letter to the prime minister. We demand an apology,” she told reporters.

The comments also sparked outrage on Twitter. “Sriprakash Jaiswal is definitely gonna be slapped by someone,” tweeted one user called Dhanya Rajendran.

Jaiswal yesterday said he had been quoted out of context and had not meant to cause offence.

“I don’t want to insult women. My statement was just a joke,” he told reporters.

- (c) AFP 2012

- Additional reporting by Michelle Hennessy.

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