In what could be a first in Indian politics, a nude monk waxed wisdom in a State Legislative Assembly on Friday, doling out advice on a wide range of subjects including the state of Indian politics, dealing with Pakistan, and how to prevent female foeticide.
Jain religious leader Tarun Sagar, who was invited by Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma to kick off Haryana Assembly's monsoon session, had lawmakers spellbound for 40 minutes, The Indian Express reported today.
On politics, Sagar said, "Dharam pati hai, rajneeti patni. Har pati ki yeh duty hoti hai apni patni ko samrakshan de. Har patni ka dharam hota hai ki woh pati ke anushasan ko sweekar kare." (Duty is like the husband, politics is like the wife. It is the duty of every husband to protect his wife. It is the duty of every wife to accept his husband's direction.")
Female foeticide, Sagar said, would have to be prevented at the political, religious and social level, The Indian Express reported.
"At the political level, the government should decide that those who do not have daughters should not have the right to contest Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. At the level of society, people should not marry their daughters into families that do not have daughters. At the religious level, saints should decide that they will not accept alms from houses where there are no daughters," the monk said, as quoted by the newspaper.
"The result will exceed expectations if this formula is followed. We are living in the 21st century. Even today, when boys and girls are differentiated, I feel we are living in the 14th century," he said.
While Sagar blamed Pakistan for making trouble for India, the monk also said that no religion promotes terrorism.
More of what Sagar told the Haryana Assembly can be read at The Indian Expressand heard in the video above.
Also on HuffPost India:
