'I don’t like girls in ...': Kailash Vijayvargiya's 'revealing dress' remark sparks fresh row

Kailash Vijayvargiya

Senior BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya has once again caused a stir with his comments, this time linking women’s clothing to the idea of good public speaking, NDTV reported.

Speaking at a tree plantation event on Environment Day in Indore’s Sindoor Vatika, Vijayvargiya said he does not like women who wear “skimpy clothes.” His comment came after BJP’s Indore president Sumit Mishra said he had delivered the shortest speech of his life.

Vijayvargiya then compared the length of speeches to the clothes women wear, referring to a quote attributed to Winston Churchill, that a good speech should be like a woman’s skirt, “short enough to be interesting, but long enough to cover the subject.”

"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," NDTV quoted him as saying.

"Sometimes girls come to take selfies with me. I tell them - 'Beta, come in proper clothes next time, then we'll take a photo,'" he added.

Reacting to his comments, Congress spokesperson Anand Jat strongly said, “I don’t understand why BJP leaders are so focused on women’s clothes and appearances. They need proper training and sensitisation on women’s issues.”

This isn’t the first time Kailash Vijayvargiya has faced backlash for his views on women. In 2022, during a Hanuman Jayanti event in Indore, he had said, “I won’t lie on Hanuman Jayanti, but girls today wear filthy clothes. We call women goddesses, but they don’t appear that way, they look like Shurpanakha,” referring to a demoness from Hindu mythology.