21 December,2021 04:03 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Smriti Irani. File Pic
Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani stirred a hornet's nest on Tuesday when she posted an image on her official Instagram account, the text of which read, "When I was a kid, they didn't take me to a psychologist... My mom was able to open my chakra, stabilize my karma and clean my aura with one single slap."
The caption of the post read, "My ma gleefully shared this with me ⦠aur kis kis ki mataji ne aise aura clean ki hai kripaya haath uthayein" ( Whose mothers cleansed their aura like this, please raise your hands)
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It is to be noted that Irani had introduced the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, that proposes to increase the age of marriage of women from 18 to 21 years, in Parliament, on Tuesday.
Although some Instagram users took her post in jest, others were perturbed by her stance.
"Well many parents don't know their limits and turn into abusive person. As Child minister, you should think on Domestic abuse of children (sic)," commented one user on the post.
"That's why we go to therapists now," said another.
"And that's why we have mental issues as adults now," posted a user.
On the issue of increasing marriageable age for women from 18 to 21, the BJP has been criticized by many political leaders, amongst them was AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi. In a thread of 12 tweets, Owaisi criticized Centre and said "Modi govt has decided to increase the age of marriage for women to 21. This is typical paternalism that we have come to expect from the govt. 18-year-old men and women can sign contracts, start businesses, choose Prime Ministers, elect MPs and MLAs but not marry?"
Child and women's rights activists, as well as population and family planning experts are not in favour of increasing the age of marriage for women on the basis that such a legislation would push a large portion of the population into illegal marriages.
They have contended that even with the legal age of marriage for women being 18 years, child marriages continue in the country and a decrease in such marriages has not been because of the existing law but because of increase in girl's education and employment opportunities.
