File image of Tirath Singh Rawat. News18

Just days after facing flak and finally tendering an apology for his ‘ripped jeans’ comment, Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat on Sunday made a fresh faux pas when he claimed that America had “enslaved India for 200 years” and ruled the world.

#WATCH “…As opposed to other countries, India is doing better in terms of handling #COVID19 crisis. America, who enslaved us for 200 years and ruled the world, is struggling in current times,” says Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat pic.twitter.com/gHa9n33W2O

— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2021

Addressing an event on International Forests Day in Nainital district, Rawat, offering praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, made the gaffe while attempting to compare India’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic with that of the United States.

“India is doing better in terms of handling the COVID-19 crisis compared to other countries. America, who enslaved us for 200 years and ruled the world, is struggling in current times,” Rawat said, confusing the United States of America with Britain.

“The US is number one in the health sector and yet, they have over 50 lakh deaths,” Rawat claimed. “They are again heading towards a lockdown.”

The current COVID-19 toll in the United States stands at 5,41,000, while the current COVID-19 toll in Britain is at 1,26,000.

“The sun never sets on us, they would say”, Rawat added, clearly confusing America with the British Empire.

He also created another flutter when he remarked on the amount of ration distributed during the COVID-19 lockdown. He said families with two members were jealous of those having 20 members since the latter benefited most from the government ration scheme.

“(Government) assured every family gets 5 kilograms of ration per unit (during Covid time). The families which had 10 members got 50 kilograms. Those having 20 members got 100 kilograms and those families having 2 members got 10 kilograms. People stored ration and even sold it. The quality of rice was superb and people didn’t (expect) it,” the chief minister said on Sunday, according to News18.

As per The Indian Express, in the speech that was later taken off his Facebook account, Rawat said the difference in allocation of rations had created “jalan (jealousy)”

He went on to say that “but then many were jealous why I got 10 kilograms and why another one having 20 members got 100 kilograms (ration). Why (small families) are jealous? Why you did not have (more) kids when there was time?”

Rawat on Friday, while apologising for his comments on ‘ripped jeans’, continued to insist that wearing “torn” ones are “not right”.

Referring to his remark made earlier this week, Rawat told the media that he had commented that nowadays children bring a costly jean home and then cut it with a scissor. He had only talked about the environment at home and this applies to him as well, Rawat said.

“If we inculcate good values and discipline in children, they will never fail in future,” the chief minister added, stressing that he had made the comment at a programme held to keep the children away from intoxicants and other evils.

Describing himself as a man from a rural background, Rawat on Friday said whenever his pant was torn in schooldays, he feared that his teacher would scold him. “Due to discipline and values, we used to cover it with a patch,” he said.

Rawat had drawn flak on social media and within Parliament after at an event earlier this week when he said youngsters follow strange fashion trends due to a lack of values and consider themselves to be big shots after wearing jeans ripped at the knees.

Rawat then went on to describe the attire of a woman who sat next to him on a flight. He described her as wearing boots, jeans ripped at the knees, bangles in her hands and two children travelling with her. He also said she runs an NGO, goes out in society and has two children and wondered what values she would give them.

Rawat was sworn in as the chief minister of Uttarakhand on 10 March.

With inputs from PTI