 "Union Minister fails to write 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' slogan. WATCH")
Goof-ups by political leaders are not new. From mispronouncing words to innuendos, politicians keep slipping. Recently, Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Savitri Thakur is in the limelight for failing to write a slogan that is pretty much the main motto of her party and Ministry.
Thakur’s effort to write the Hindi slogan ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ on a whiteboard has gained widespread attention online. During a ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’ event on Wednesday in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, Thakur misspelt the slogan, leading to criticism from the Opposition, reported NDTV.
As the Minister of State for Women and Child Development and a Lok Sabha member from Dhar, Thakur mistakenly wrote “Beddi Padao Bachav” on the whiteboard.
The Opposition, especially the Congress party, quickly moved to criticise Thakur’s educational qualifications. Senior Congress leader KK Mishra condemned Thakur’s literacy, calling it a “misfortune of democracy,” the report said. Thakur’s affidavit indicates she has completed education up to standard 12.
“It is the misfortune of democracy that people who hold constitutional posts and are responsible for big departments are not competent even in their mother tongue. How can they be capable of running their ministry?” Mishra said. Mishra also proposed amending the Constitution to require minimum educational qualifications for election candidates.
“On one hand, the country is claimed to be progressing in literacy, while on the other, there is a lack of literacy among those in responsible positions. This reflects a systemic issue rather than an individual problem,” he said.
The ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme, launched in 2015, aims to address the declining child sex ratio and promote women’s education.
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Dhar district BJP president Manoj Somani came to Thakur’s defence, accusing the Congress of showing ‘petty and anti-tribal thinking’.
“Savitri ji’s intentions are sincere, but Congress members cannot maintain pure sentiments. The tribal community will not forgive the disrespect shown to a tribal woman,” he said.
Meanwhile, Umang Singhar, leader of the Opposition in the state assembly and a tribal leader from Dhar, also criticised Thakur on social media. Singhar questioned Thakur’s leadership and literacy, suggesting that this incident reflects poorly on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s choice of ministers.
“What kind of leadership is this? Does Prime Minister Narendra Modi want only rubber-stamp ministers in his government? There should be at least some literacy among public representatives,” he said. “One can only imagine how the children felt seeing her write incorrectly. What type of leadership can she offer in the central government? Voters should have considered this before electing her.”
Singhar further claimed that the BJP does not prioritise educated leaders.