A day after India stripped Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) of the special status, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vikram Singh Saini has said that all BJP bachelors should rejoice as they can now get married to Kashmiri girls.
Addressing a gathering in India's Khatauli of Muzaffarnagar, the BJP leader said that party workers can now go to IoK, buy land plots and get married to 'gori' (fair-skinned) Kashmiri girls as nobody will have a problem with it. Saini further said that Muslim boys should also celebrate revoking Article 370, as now they too can easily get married to Kashmiri girls.
“Modi has fulfilled our dream and it is visible as the entire country is celebrating. All bachelor BJP members, who are eager to get married, can go to Kashmir and we have no problem with it. In fact, BJP’s Muslim activists should be happy as they can now get married to ‘gori’ [fair-skinned] Kashmiri girls,” he said.
BJP MP from UP Vikram Saini says people in India are very happy - especially bachelors - because they can marry 'gori' Kashmiri girls pic.twitter.com/W1i1uhgtLe
— omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) August 7, 2019
Many on Indian social media were seen to be celebrating a statement that echoes the sentiments of far-right BJP supporters who had already expressed similar statements in the wake of revocation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution. After removal of the Article 370, Indians will now be able to buy land and property in the occupied valley that has more than six hundred thousand Indian troops.
these goons and shameless are making jokes on #Kashmiri women, Indian Army raped 10,000 women in Jamu Kashmir till now, the actual report is available in United Nations. https://t.co/ioGV44K09k
— Alice.Avril (@Allexix_Wali) August 7, 2019
Meanwhile some were seen to be condemning the statement, calling it insensitive to the plight of thousands of Kashmiri women who have been raped by the Indian occupation forces. The celebratory statements form seem to be focus on buying land and marrying women, echoing the antiquated war cries that focused on land and women as fair incentives of war and occupation.
"'Get ready unmarried friends, now your in-laws house will be in Kashmir. Kashmiris, become ready to be our brother-in-laws.' A man laughed loudly in the background as Verma finished his video, which is tagged is 'Jai Hind' and 'Jai Shri Ram.’”https://t.co/BkFB8oljHK
— Arif Rafiq (@ArifCRafiq) August 6, 2019
"‘Get A Wife From Kashmir’: Article 370 News Has Sparked A Horrible Wave Of Misogyny" wrote Huffington Post earlier as reactions from India unleashed a wave of misogynistic comments about Kashmiri women after the revocation of Article 370.