Such mindset encourages crimes against women: Jaya Bachchan slams Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat's 'ripped jeans' remark

Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat recently stirred a row by saying that women wearing ripped jeans send the wrong message to society and children.

New Delhi: Actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan has expressed her disappointment over Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat's ripped jeans comment, saying this is the "mindset that encourages crimes against women".

"Such statements don`t befit a chief minister. Those on higher posts must think before making public statements. You say such things in today's times. Will you decide who's cultured and who's not on the basis of clothes? Rajya Sabha MP from Samajwadi Party, Jaya Bachchan said on Thursday while talking to ANI.

"It's bad mindset and encourages crimes against women," she added.

The newly appointed Uttarakhand chief minister recently stirred a row by saying that women wearing ripped jeans send the wrong message to society and children. Speaking at a workshop organised by the Uttarakhand State Commission for Protection of Child Rights in Dehradun, Rawat said that he was shocked to meet a woman, who runs an NGO, wearing ripped jeans on a flight with her kids.

"What kind of message are we giving out to society," he said. Amid widespread condemnation of Rawat`s comments, several women, including politicians and celebrities, posted photos in ripped jeans with the hashtag #RippedJeansTwitter.

"Rapes happen not because women wear short clothes but because men like Tirath Singh Rawat propagate misogyny and fail to do their duty. Stand in solidarity with the women in #RippedJeansTwitter (sic)," tweeted Swati Maliwal.