Rajasthan Minister's 'Advice': 'Give Birth to Lots of Children, PM Will Build Homes for Them'

Rajasthan’s tribal development minister has sparked a controversy by encouraging people to have more children, saying there should be no problem as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will build houses and provide subsidised LPG for them. He said it is the prime minister’s dream that no one should go hungry and without a roof over their head.

“It is a dream of the prime minister that no one should sleep hungry and without a roof over their head. You give birth to lots of children. Pradhan mantriji will build your houses, then what is the problem?” asked minister Babulal Kharadi while addressing a public meeting in Udaipur on Tuesday. The stage was set up for a ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ camp in Udaipur’s Nai village.

Kharadi made the remarks in the presence of chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. While the audience burst into laughter, his colleagues on stage were spotted looking at each other.

The minister, who has eight children — four sons and as many daughters — from two wives, urged people to vote for Modi again in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as he said the BJP-led Centre is initiating various public welfare measures. He said the Centre has reduced the LPG cylinder prices by Rs 200 and the BJP government in Rajasthan is now making these available to people under the Ujjwala scheme for Rs 450.

Kharadi was elected as an MLA for the fourth time in the 2023 assembly elections from Jhadol. He was adjudged the best MLA in 2022 during the 15th Rajasthan assembly and was recently inducted as a cabinet minister in the state.

(With PTI inputs)