‘Chop off his tongue’: Slur on Bihar women sparks outrage

PATNA: A controversy over an alleged remark by Uttarakhand minister Rekha Arya’s husband Girdhari Lal Sahu that “Bihar girls are available for marriage for Rs 20,000-Rs 25,000” deepened Saturday. MP Pappu Yadav demanded Sahu’s tongue be “chopped off”. MLA IP Gupta announced a Rs 10-lakh reward for anyone who brings Sahu to Bihar. RJD women workers burnt his effigy.The controversy erupted after a video went viral from BJP-ruled Uttarakhand in which Sahu was purportedly seen interacting with a group of young men, asking about their marital status and suggesting marriages could be arranged with “Bihar girls at low cost”. “People must chop off the tongues of persons making derogatory remarks... Either they be eliminated with speedy trials or their tongues be chopped off,” Independent Purnia MP Yadav said. He alleged that some made such statements merely for “political gains” while ignoring bigger issues of public concern and poverty.RJD activists breathed fire as they burnt Sahu’s effigy. “The protest is a warning that such comments won’t be tolerated,” an RJD spokesman said.