"Misinterpreted": UP Minister After Backlash Over His Nitish Kumar Remark

"What would have happened if he had touched her somewhere else?" The comment on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pulling down a hijab from a woman's face was lost in translation and carried no ill intent, Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad said on Wednesday as outrage snowballed with the opposition and others asking for an apology.

Attempting to defuse the controversy, the Nishad Party chief said the comment, made in Hindi and labelled misogynistic and crude, was light-hearted and made casually, even as a Samajwadi Party office-bearer filed a complaint with the Lucknow police against the UP minister and the Bihar CM.

"My remark was tweaked and twisted, misinterpreted, its spirit lost in cacophony and translation," the state fisheries minister told PTI as the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Aam Aadmi Party sought an unconditional apology.

"If someone has taken offence, I am willing to take back the words from my side," he said.

Nishad said he belongs to Gorakhpur and the Bhojpuri-speaking belt and expressions and conversational styles differ from region to region.

"In Bhojpuri, this is a common way of urging people not to make too much of any issue and to counsel restraint. I chose to use the same style in Hindi and didn't know it will become such an issue," he said.

"Just as language and expressions vary in Haryana, Delhi, Maharashtra or Tamil Nadu, dialects in north India and eastern Uttar Pradesh also differ. That does not mean there was any intention to insult," he said.

Nishad also said Kumar had "merely removed" the veil to verify whether the actual beneficiary of a government scheme was present. He added that the responsibility lay with officials who should have ensured proper arrangements before the programme -- a government event in Patna on Monday.

He added that his remarks carried no ill intent towards any woman, community or religion. "There was neither malice nor any intention of disrespect." He also alleged that some people were deliberately amplifying the issue for political gain.

Congress' Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai termed Nishad's comment "outrageously anti-women" and said it reflects the mindset of the BJP and its allies.

"We seek unconditional apology failing which we will seek minister's dismissal," Rai told PTI.

SP spokesperson Abbas Haider said Nishad's remarks were "condemnable and undignified".

"I would also like to ask if this is the idea of the BJP led government in UP which the minister has reflected in his statements," Haider said while demanding "an immediate and unconditional apology." The Aam Aadmi Party's UP unit accused Nishad of making "shameful" and "anti-women" comments, stating that the statement reflected a "crude and misogynistic mindset".

Social media was also filled with posts slamming the minister for his anti-women viewpoint.

Nishad's controversial remark came during an interview with a private channel. "Woh (Kumar) bhi to aadmi hai, kisi ke itna peechhe nahin pad jaana chahiye. Chhoo diya naqaab to kya ho gaya, agar kahin aur chhoo dete to kya ho jaata (He is also a man; one should not go after someone so much. What happened if the veil was removed? What would have happened if he had touched somewhere else?" the minister said.

The video of the interview was circulated widely on social media platforms.

Meanwhile, SP spokesperson Sumaiyya Rana on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the Lucknow police against Nishad and Kumar.

She said a video clip of Bihar CM pulling the hijab of a woman has triggered anger among women, prompting her to submit a complaint seeking police action.

Speaking to PTI Videos, Rana said that as someone who herself wears a hijab, she would not remain silent if such an act was committed against her.

She said the complaint also refers to UP minister Sanjay Nishad's remarks on the issue.

Rana said she submitted a written complaint at the Kaisarbagh police station seeking investigation and registration of an FIR.

Alleging delay by the police, Rana said she was initially sent from Kaisarbagh to Gautampalli police station before her complaint was eventually accepted, with police saying an FIR would be registered only after inquiry.

She said SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and senior leader Dimple Yadav have condemned the incident, and alleged that such remarks by Nishad were not new.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kaisarbagh, Ratnesh Singh told PTI on Wednesday evening that the matter is currently under investigation and further action would be taken based on the outcome of the probe.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)