Women had greater freedom in Vedic times, retorts Arvind Kejriwal.
Union Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma, on Monday, backed off from his statement suggesting foreigners visiting India should avoid wearing skirt.
The Times of India reported that the minister denied the reports saying he urged foreigners to avoid wearing a skirt and refrain from moving out in the evening.
Sharma clarified that he made the statement in the context of religious places where everyone has to follow certain rules and he would never tell a woman what they should wear or not.
“I am a father of two daughters…I would never tell women what they should wear or not. Our culture is Atithi Devo bhava (the guest is almost like God). Such a ban is unimaginable, but it is not a crime to be cautious. Different countries issue advisories from time to time, but I never said change anyone’s way of dressing,” Sharma said on Monday.
On Sunday, the minister had said that foreigners should avoid using skirts and moving out without escort in the evenings in small towns of India.
“When tourists arrive at the airport, they will be given a welcome kit which has a card with dos and don’ts… it has instructions like if they are in small areas, they should not roam around alone at night or wear skirts,” the minister said on Sunday.
According to Sharma, he was mentioning the measures taken by the government to ensure the safety of tourists in popular destinations. The government has decided to issue foreigners a guideline describing dos and donts in India.
Women activists and tourism industry leaders had come down hard on the comment saying that it would send a wrong message about the country.
“Women had greater freedom to wear clothes of their choice in Vedic times than they have in Modi times,†tweeted Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.