Nitish Kumar apologises after remarks on women trigger furore

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has apologised for comments about the role of women in population control after the remarks were slammed as derogatory by the opposition.

Nitish Kumar told the media late on Tuesday (November 7) that he did not mean to disrespect women and was ready to take back his words if they caused offence.

The Janata Dal (United) leader made the comments while speaking in the Bihar legislature about why the state’s fertility rate has dropped from 4.2 to 2.9 per cent.

While emphasising the role of education in population control, Nitish Kumar gave a rather vivid description of how an educated woman can restrain her husband during physical intimacy.

"The husband's acts led to more births. However, with education, a woman knows how to restrain him... This is the reason the numbers (of births) are coming down," PTI quoted him as saying.

"You, journalists also understand it well. Earlier it (fertility rate) was 4.3, but it has now reached 2.9. And, soon we will reach 2," he added.

BJP attack

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called the chief minister’s language “shameful” and “vulgar”. It alleged that Nitish Kumar’s “mind is infested with worms from B-grade adult films".

The National Commission for Women (NCW) asked him to offer a public apology.

Before Nitish Kumar apologised, his deputy Tejashwi Yadav defended him.

"Let me clarify... Whatever the chief minister said was about sex education. People become hesitant over this topic... but it is taught in schools. He said what needs to be done practically to control the population. This should not be taken in a wrong manner..." he said.

(With agency inputs)