India / Girls will get chance to do 'awargi': SP MP on Bill to raise marriage age to 21

LUCKNOW: Hours after two Samajwadi Party MPs gave bizarre statements on the government’s plan to introduce a bill increasing the minimum age limit for marriage of girls from 18 to 21, party national president Akhilesh Yadav dismissed their statements as ‘personal opinions’ and said the SP has a very progressive approach towards women and cannot support such statements.

“The Samajwadi Party has a progressive approach when it comes to women and their betterment. Such statements (of the two MPs) can be their personal opinion but certainly not the party line on the issue. The SP can never back such opinions (like that of the two MPs). Our party has distributed free laptops to girls and used technology to help them through 1090 Women Powerline and a number of similar initiatives,” Akhilesh said when asked to comment on the statement of his party MPs.

Expressing their reservation over Centre’s move to increase the age limit for marriage of girls, sitting SP MP from Moradabad ST Hasan had said: “Girls should be married when they attain the age of fertility. There is nothing wrong if a mature girl is married at 16. If she can vote at the age of 18, why can't she marry?” He, however added that this was his personal comment and not the party line.

However, Shafeequr Rehman Barq, who is the SP MP from Sambhal, came up with a rather bizarre statement. “…. ladkiyon ko awaargi ka mauka milega (Will throw up opportunities for girls to go astray) he said. "India is a poor country and everybody wants to marry their daughters at an early age ... I will not support this bill in Parliament," he said. He later said that he did not use the word ‘awaargi’ and that his statement was twisted.