Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development and BJP leader Savitri Thakur’s attempt to write the slogan ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ on a Hindi blackboard has gone viral for the wrong reasons. At a Chalo Abhiyan school event in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, Thakur misspelled the slogan, drawing criticism from the opposition.
Savitri Thakur, the Minister of State for Women and Child Development and a Member of the Dhari Lok Sabha, accidentally wrote “Beddi Padao Bachav” on the board.
Opposition’s Criticism
The opposition, especially the Congress, took the opportunity to question Thakur’s educational qualifications. Senior Congress leader KK Mishra criticized Thakur’s literacy, calling it a “disaster of democracy”. According to her affidavit, Mrs. Thakur studied up to 12th standard. “It is a misfortune of democracy that people who fulfill constitutional duties and lead large departments are not qualified even in their mother tongue.
How can one be qualified to run a ministry?” Mr. Mishra said. Mishra also proposed to amend the constitution to impose educational requirements on election candidates. “On the one hand, it is claimed that the country’s citizens are educated, but on the other hand, the literacy of responsible people is lacking. So, what is the truth? It’s about the system, not about any individual,” he added.
Launched in 2015, ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ is a central government program to address the declining sex ratio and female education.
BJP’s Defense for Union Minister
In defense, Dhar district BJP president Manoj Somani criticized the Congress for its hasty mistake in solving the problem. “Savitri Ji’s feelings and emotions are pure, but Congressmen cannot. The tribal community will not forgive insults to a tribal woman,” Somani said. She blamed the Congress’s failure to come to terms with the rising status of the tribal woman.
Reactions from Other Leaders
Umang Singhar, the head of the opposition in the state assembly and a tribal leader from Dhar, repeated the criticism on social media. Singhar questioned Thakur’s leadership and literacy and felt that the incident reflected poorly on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s choice of ministers.”
What kind of leadership is this? Is Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking solely rubber-stamp ministers for his government?
There is no set standard of what an MP should be, but at least one should be educated,” he said. “You can understand how the children felt when they saw his spelling mistake.
You can only imagine what kind of leadership he will have in the central government. The voters should think before electing such a member of the representative.
“Singhar claimed that BJP does not want educated leaders.
