‘Why Only 2... Give Birth to 20, Get Extra Ration’: Uttarakhand CM

“When there was time you only gave birth to two... why not 20?” Rawat reportedly said at a public event.

BJP MP Tirath Singh Rawat will be the new chief minister of Uttarakhand.

(Photo: The Quint)

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat on Sunday, 21 March, said families struggling to feed themselves amid the COVID-19 pandemic should have had 20 children if they wanted more food grains and pulses under the ration scheme of the Narendra Modi-led central government.

"Every household was given five kg rations. If 10 (people in a home) got 50 kg, then 20 got a quintal (100 kg). But some were jealous that two people got 10 kg and 20 got a quintal. Why? When there was time, you only gave birth to two... why not 20?" Rawat was quoted by news agency ANI.

In his latest controversial remark, Rawat was referring to the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, under which the government offers five kg of food grains and one kg of pulses per person per household.

CM Blames US For ‘200 Years Of Rule’

The newly-appointed chief minister made this comment at a public event in Ramnagar during which he also blamed the United States for “200 years of rule in India”.

“As opposed to other countries, India is doing better in terms of handling COVID-19 crisis. America, who enslaved us for 200 years and ruled the world, is struggling in current times," Rawat said.

Earlier last week, the Uttarakhand CM was in the news for his misogynistic remarks about women wearing ‘ripped jeans.’

“Showing bare knees by wearing ripped jeans just to look like rich kids is the value given now, which is just a race towards westernisation when the western world is following us today. Ripped jeans pave the way for societal breakdown and are a bad example for children,” Rawat had remarked, drawing criticism from across the board.