Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya recently came under fire for an outrageous and insensitive statement regarding rape. Now, in a bizarre move, veteran party leader and former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijaya Singh has jumped to his defence and claimed that he merely repeated the words of a Brahmin professor from Patna University. He asserted that Baraiya’s comments have been misrepresented, leading to unwarranted controversy.
Singh declared, “He had said very clearly that all these are stated in a book written by the Philosophy Head of Department in Patna University, Jha, who is a Brahmin. This is not his remark,” while talking to the reporters. He further alleged that Jha should be charged rather than Baraiya, who just referred to the book.
The Congress Rajya Sabha MP added that Baraiya clearly stated, “This is not my opinion. I am against this.” Singh then asked, “If you want to act, you can act against Jha, but you don’t. The book is published by Rajkamal Prakashan. You can act against them, but you don’t. You are not acting against any of them. Why?”
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh: In protest against Phool Singh Baraiya’s controversial remarks on women, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh says, "…He has himself said that these are not his thoughts and that he opposes them. If any action is to be taken, it should be based on the content… pic.twitter.com/vv20nAz1zO
— IANS (@ians_india) January 18, 2026
“Who are the most victims of rape in India? Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs. The theory of rape is that if a man, regardless of his mental state, is walking down the road and sees a beautiful girl, it can distract his mind and make him rape a woman,” announced Baraiya who is an MLA from Bhander in Datia district of Madhya Pradesh during an interview on 17th January (Saturday), leading to a massive backlash.
He argued, citing a book he called Rudrayamal Tantra, that some criminals believe sexually abusing women from particular castes provides them spiritual benefits akin to making a pilgrimage. According to him, such crimes are motivated by this ideology and also contended that groups rather than individuals are frequently responsible for the heinous act. He also brought up incidents involving young children, claiming that these atrocities are motivated by a “perverted mindset” shaped by these beliefs.
Baraiya discussed how women are evaluated according to their “beauty.” He then maintained that although a guy might be distracted by a “beautiful woman,” those from the SC, ST, and OBC communities are singled out even though they don’t meet that description because the offenders feel their actions give them religious value. He went so far as to suggest that “a man cannot rape a woman without her consent.”
Baraiya stated, “It is written that by having intercourse with a woman of this caste, you will get the reward of a pilgrimage. Now, if he can’t go on a pilgrimage, then what is the alternative? Have intercourse at home, and you will be rewarded. He will try to rape her by grabbing her in the dark or light. A man cannot rape a woman without her consent. That’s why four-month-old and one-year-old girls are raped. He does it for a reward.”
