You already knew that there were three kinds of people running the world – the good, the bad and the weird.
And then there’s a fourth kind. The politician.
While some among this noble breed are good orators, there are some who make statements that just make you question their sanity. These people don’t just put their foot in their mouth; they are quite diligently shoving their entire leg in.
We list a few statements that might make you re-evaluate your understanding of everything from fast food to what you wear.
1. Denim Disasters
For years, scientists have been gathering data that would enable them to predict earthquakes with certainty. They probably haven’t succeeded yet as they were trying to zero in on the movement of the earth’s plates.
Such a foolish move, indeed. All they needed to do was ask this gentleman in Pakistan. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islami Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has the answer. He pointed out that women wearing jeans cause earthquakes and other disasters.
We assume, of course, that this is backed by years of intense research and scientific data mining. Scientists have been rushing to him for advice on seismic activity (unconfirmed).
2. Silly Boys and Their Silly Mistakes
You know how you would mess up a math exam with one mistake? You put a 2 instead of a 22 and teachers dubbed it a “silly mistake”.
Well, Mulayam Singh Yadav thinks of rape the same way. The politician had this to say about rape: “…Should rape cases lead to hanging? Boys are boys, they make mistakes.” Obviously he believes that boys should not be saddled with the responsibility of heinous crimes – or anything at all – because of their gender.
3. Baby Boom, but Only for Hindu Women
With India’s burgeoning population and climbing inflation, having babies can be expensive and many couples have to consider their financial situation before having one.
The practicality of that seems to have been lost on Sakshi Maharaj, a BJP parliamentarian from UP who said, “ A Hindu woman must have at least four children. Give one to the army, another to us religious leaders and teachers.”
According to unconfirmed and seriously questionable sources, Hindu women across the country gave up their rights to decide for themselves after this inspiring statement.
4. Minority Report
In a country fraught with religious tension, it is only appropriate to make irresponsible statements.
Shazia Ilmi, a leader who deals with, to put it kindly, her own ‘loyalty’ issues, once said, “Muslims should be communal for their own good.” Of course, she quickly retracted this statement saying it was pulled out of context and that her comments were a “play of words”.
And why shouldn’t you indulge in occasional playful, albeit controversial, banter when the country is watching you and looking at you for inspiration?
5. Fast Food and Hormones
If you’ve been wolfing down burgers without a thought about what it’s doing to your hormones, you could be a potential criminal.
As an enlightened Khap Panchayat leader Jitendar Chattar said, “ To my understanding, consumption of fast food contributes to such incidents (rape). Chowmein leads to hormonal imbalance evoking an urge to indulge in such acts.”
You may assume that drive throughs or takeaways aren’t as bad but the verdict isn’t out on that one. Looks like noodles are having a bad run.
(Mansi Shah is founder of the blog Damsel in Destress which reviews experiences as varied as spas, books and plays. Mansi is, by her own admission, “clueless” at 30 with an easy penchant for humour.)
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