Former Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Raghavendra Pratap Singh has sparked controversy with his remarks in which he offered to cover marriage expenses and provide jobs to Hindu men who “bring ten Muslim girls and make them Hindu”, PTI reported.

Singh, who represented the Domariyaganj Assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharthnagar district, made the remarks at a gathering in Dhankharpur village on October 16.

A video of the event that was widely circulated on social media shows Singh telling a crowd to “bring at least ten Muslim girls” and asking them to raise their hands if they were ready to do so, The Indian Express reported.

“If a Hindu girl goes with a Muslim boy, is it not an insult to the whole Hindu community?” PTI quoted him as saying in the video. “If two have gone, then …bringing two is not enough. Bring at least ten Muslim girls and make them Hindu, and we will bear all expenses of marriage, give security and provide a job for a comfortable livelihood.”

He also said that during previous governments, Hindus lived in fear, but under Chief Minister Adityanath’s rule, there is no need to be scared anymore.

The video has triggered criticism from Opposition parties, who have described the comments as “anti-women” and “communal”.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati called the remarks “highly condemnable” and urged the state government to take strict legal action.

“The narrow minded statement ‘bring a Muslim girl, get a job’ along with the poisonous and violent game going on by mischievous elements in UP…in the name of religious conversion…is highly condemnable,” Mayawati said in a social media post. “Such criminal and anti-social elements pose an open challenge and threat to a civilised and constitutional government.”

Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav said the statement reflected the “anti-women psychology” of BJP leaders, The Indian Express reported.

The Congress said that spreading hatred in the name of religion, dividing society and misleading unemployed youth has become “the real politics of the BJP”, the newspaper reported.

“When it becomes difficult to answer questions on issues of employment, education and inflation, BJP leaders resort to injecting religious venom to polish their politics of power,” the party added.

Responding to the criticism, Singh defended his remarks, telling The Indian Express that his comments were being taken out of context.

“It is a village with over 65% Muslim population, and there have been instances of Hindu girls being lured by Muslim boys,” The Indian Express quoted him as saying. “Recently, there was also an incident of a Dalit being beaten up by Muslims. Therefore, I decided to hold a public meeting in that village.”

He claimed there was “fear” in the village and people were afraid to attend his meeting.

“So, I had to send the message that anyone harming Hindus and their daughters would see the same fate,” he added.

The BJP has distanced itself from the controversy.

“There was no such official event of the party in the district, so I am not aware of any such event or any such statement,” Kanhaiya Paswan, the BJP’s Sidharthanagar district unit chief, told The Indian Express.

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