Urging students to avoid live-in relationships, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel said, “I want to say only one thing to the girls. Live-in relationships have become a trend these days. But, stay away from it,” she stated.
Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has sparked fresh controversy after publicly discouraging women from entering live-in relationships, linking it to violence during a convocation ceremony in Varanasi.
Urging students to avoid live-in relationships, she said, “I want to say only one thing to the girls. Live-in relationships have become a trend these days. But, stay away from it.”
The governor, who is the chancellor of state universities, then issued a stark warning: “Otherwise, you must have seen women being chopped up into 50 pieces.”
She was speaking at the 47th convocation ceremony of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith in Varanasi.
Expressing distress over news reports of partner violence, Patel said, “I have been hearing such news for the past few days. And I keep thinking, why do our daughters do this? It pains me.”
She also recalled a conversation with a judge who also expressed concern over women’s safety: “The judge said that awareness campaigns should be launched in the universities so that young women can protect themselves against exploitation.”
Second Controversial Statement in Days
This is the second time in as many days that the governor has made controversial remarks about live-in relationships at a university event.
Just two days prior, while speaking at the seventh convocation ceremony of Jananayak Chandrashekhar University in Ballia, she spoke about the alleged consequences of these relationships.
