Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat Sunday said people with less number of “units (family members)” had ended up getting less government rations during the Covid-19 lockdown as compared to those who “reproduced 20”, creating “jealousy”, saying it was their fault for not reproducing enough.

Addressing an event on International Forests Day in Nainital district, he added that people had never had such good quality rice and some even stocked and sold it.

“… Har ghar mein per unit 5 kilo ration dene ka kam kiya. Jiske 10 thai toh 50 kilo aa gaya, 20 thai toh quintal aa gaya, 2 thai toh 10 kilo aa gaya. Logon ne store bana liye, kharidar saamne dhoondh liye. Itna badhiya chawal aaya kabhi apne aap bhi liya nahin saamanya jeevan ke liye
(Every household was given 5 kg ration per unit. Those having 10 units got 50 kg, those with 20 units got a quintal and those with two units got 10 kg. People built stores and found customers in the neighbourhood. The rice they got was of such good quality that they would have never had the same in normal lives),” the newly appointed CM, fighting controversy over his attack on women for wearing ripped jeans, said.

#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

In the speech that was later taken off his Facebook account, Rawat said the difference in allocation of rations had created “jalan (jealousy)”. “… ki mujhe to 2 hain to 10 kilo mila, 20 wale ko quintal kyun mila? Bhaiyya ismein dosh kiska? Usne 20 paida kiya, aapne 2 paida kiye, to usko ek quintal mil raha, ab ismein jalan kahe ka? Jab samay tha to aapne 2 hi paida kiye, 20 kyun nahi kiya (… that I have got 2 family members, so got 10 kg, those with 20 units have got a quintal. But whose fault is that? One who reproduced 20 got a quintal, you reproduced only two. Why jealously on that? When there was time, you reproduced only two, why not 20)?”

Rawat added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured that everyone was treated equally during the lockdown, and that but for his leadership, India would have been badly hit by Covid-19. He gave the example of America’s steep coronavirus death toll, saying India had fared better than the US despite being its “ghulam (slave)” for 200 years.
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Rawat said Modi would not just continue as PM but also lead the world in the future.

Forest Minister Harak Singh Rawat, BJP MLAs, officials of the Forest Department and district administration were present at the event.

Criticising Rawat’s remarks, the Congress said, “When the country is facing the problem of population and governments are taking steps to control it, it seems CM Tirath Singh Rawat is asking people to reproduce more kids to get more rations. His remark that people had not eaten rice of such good quality is also derogatory.”