A Congress leader in Madhya Pradesh landed in a fresh controversy by making sexist remarks that women invite trouble by looking at men in a suggestive manner. Such statement was not expected from a politician when the country is outraged over the brutal rape of a five-year-old child in Delhi.

Satyadev Katare, a former minister of the state, drew a lot of flak from the BJP and others for his statement. “Jab tak mahila tirchi najar se nahi dekhegi, tab tak purush use nahi chedega” (No man will harass a woman till she looks at him in a suggestive manner),” he said at a Congress rally in Bhind on Tuesday.

The BJP described the statement as highly derogatory towards women. “It reflects the mentality of Congress leaders and especially in the aftermath of incidents of a recent rape in Delhi,”said BJP leader Vishwas Sarang.

This is not for the first time that women were blamed for the growing number of crimes against them.