Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel stoked a controversy as she warned women to stay away from live-in relationships, or else “you will be found in 50 pieces.”
Anandiben expressed concern over rising instances of violence against women and urged female students to make wise decisions in their personal lives.
“Daughters must think carefully before taking any decision and should stay away from live-in relationships and such circumstances which may lead to exploitation,” said Anandiben while addressing the 47th convocation ceremony of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith in Varanasi on Wednesday.
“I have just one message for our daughters: live-in relationships may be in vogue right now, but don’t do it. Make your own decisions about your life. You’ve seen what happens — found in 50 pieces. Over the past 10 days, I’ve been receiving reports about such cases, and every time I see them, it pains me to wonder why our daughters make these choices,” said the Governor, who is also chancellor of state universities.
The 73-year-old BJP politician, who served as Gujarat’s first and only chief minister – from May 2014 to August 2016 – following Narendra Modi’s 13-year-stint, said she had personally met the affected girls, all of whom had a disturbing and unique story.
Anandiben urged all universities to raise awareness among female students to prevent them from falling prey to live-in relationships.
It was the second time in two days that Anandiben issued a similar warning.
“If you want to see the consequences of live-in relationships, visit an orphanage. Fifteen to 20-year-old girls are standing in line, each with a one-year-old child,” she claimed on Tuesday while attending the 7th convocation of Jananayak Chandrashekhar University in Ballia.
“They (men) take young women to hotels, woo them, have a child and then abandon them. These are not our values, yet they are happening,” Anandiben said, advising women to dedicate their lives to noble goals.