In a bizarre statement, the Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel backed the Patidar proposal to make parental permission mandatory for girls before entering into a love marriage, saying he would look into the Constitutional framework to see if there was a possibility to bring in such a law. His statement was backed by Congress MLA Imran Khedawala, who remarked that this wasn't a 'Hindu-Muslim' issue, but concerned families. Although the Constitution is clear on Indians' right to marry the person of their choice, the question that emerges is - when will men stop trying to curtail women's agency?
