File Photo: Goa Minister Deepak Dhavalikar

Goa minister Deepak Dhavalikar today defended his wife's comments that "following Western culture" has triggered rapes in India. He also said that because she wears saris, she has not been harassed.



"She has lived her entire life wearing kumkum and sarees. She was never a victim of eve-teasing. That is what she must have explained to people," said Mr Dhavalikar, according to local reports cited by news agency IANS.





"In the past, rape cases were less because they (women) adhered by Hindu dharma and now such cases are on the rise because of the western style of living," he has been quoted as saying.."Mr Dhavalikar belongs to the regional Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, which is a part of the BJP-led coalition government in Goa.